The Vegan Marxist
4th June 2010, 09:19
I ended making a thread a few months back on revleft about Barefoot doctors, provided the same video as shown below, & asked what others opinions were on this. And of course, it brought about popular support in it, due to what the Barefoot Doctors brought to those of China during its years of collectivism. So now, I'm going to recreate the thread, given that many have joined revleft since then, which is always nice to see, & allow you to gain a much better understanding of how healthcare worked within the majority section of China. I will also quote wikipedia as well, where it'll point out what exactly was so great about them & what consequences were brought about after they were disbanded by the Chinese government & replaced through privatized healthcare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YvwVFC-TJY
"Barefoot doctors acted as a primary health-care provider at the grass-roots level. They were given a set of medicines, Western and Chinese that they would dispense. Often they grew their own herbs in the backyard. As Mao had called for, they tried to integrate both Western and Chinese medicine, like acupuncture and moxibustion. An important feature was that they were still involved in farm work, often spending as much as 50% of their time on this - this meant that the rural farmers perceived them as peers, and respected their advice more.[citation needed] They were integrated in a system where they could refer seriously ill people to township and county hospitals.
Barefoot doctors provided mostly primary health care services, and focused on prevention rather than treatment.[1] They provided immunizations, delivery for pregnant women, and improvement of sanitation.[1] The income of the barefoot doctors was calculated as if it were agricultural work; they were paid roughly half of what a classically trained doctor made.[1] This funding came from collective welfare funds as well as from local farmer contributions (from 0.5% to 2% of their annual incomes).[2] This program was successful in part because the doctors were selected and paid by their own villages. By the 1960s, there were RCMS programs in 90% of China's rural villages.[1]
The work of the barefoot doctors effectively reduced health care costs in the People’s Republic of China, and provided primary care treatment to the rural farming population.[1] The World Health Organization regarded RCMS as a “successful example of solving shortages or medical services in rural areas”.[1]"
"Two-thirds of the village doctors currently practicing in rural China began their training as barefoot doctors.[4] This includes Chen Zhu, China’s current Minister of Health, who practiced as a barefoot doctor for five years before going on to receive additional training.[4]
The barefoot doctor system was abolished in 1981 with the end of the commune system of agricultural cooperatives. The new economic policy in China promoted a shift from collectivism to individual production by the family unit.[3] This shift caused a privatization of the medical system, which could not sustain the barefoot doctors.[3] The barefoot doctors were given the option to take a national exam, if they passed they became village doctors, if not they would be village health aides. Village doctors began charging patients for their services,[3] and because of the new economic incentives,[1] they began to shift their focus to treatment of chronic conditions rather than preventative care.[1]
By 1984, village RCMS coverage had dropped from 90% to 4.8%.[2] In 1989 the Chinese government tried to restore a cooperative health care system in the rural provinces by launching a nationwide primary health care program.[2] This effort increased coverage up to 10% by 1993.[2] In 1994 the government established “The Program”, which was an effort to reestablish primary health care coverage for the rural population.[2]
In 2003 the Chinese government proposed a new cooperative medical system that is operated and funded by the government.[1] This program is run more like an insurance program.[2] It pays 10 Renminbi per year for each person covered by the program, and by ensuring coverage for serious diseases.[1] This new program relies heavily on lessons learned from the times of the barefoot doctors, but faces many challenges in providing sufficient, cost-effective care for China’s rural populations.[1]"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YvwVFC-TJY
"Barefoot doctors acted as a primary health-care provider at the grass-roots level. They were given a set of medicines, Western and Chinese that they would dispense. Often they grew their own herbs in the backyard. As Mao had called for, they tried to integrate both Western and Chinese medicine, like acupuncture and moxibustion. An important feature was that they were still involved in farm work, often spending as much as 50% of their time on this - this meant that the rural farmers perceived them as peers, and respected their advice more.[citation needed] They were integrated in a system where they could refer seriously ill people to township and county hospitals.
Barefoot doctors provided mostly primary health care services, and focused on prevention rather than treatment.[1] They provided immunizations, delivery for pregnant women, and improvement of sanitation.[1] The income of the barefoot doctors was calculated as if it were agricultural work; they were paid roughly half of what a classically trained doctor made.[1] This funding came from collective welfare funds as well as from local farmer contributions (from 0.5% to 2% of their annual incomes).[2] This program was successful in part because the doctors were selected and paid by their own villages. By the 1960s, there were RCMS programs in 90% of China's rural villages.[1]
The work of the barefoot doctors effectively reduced health care costs in the People’s Republic of China, and provided primary care treatment to the rural farming population.[1] The World Health Organization regarded RCMS as a “successful example of solving shortages or medical services in rural areas”.[1]"
"Two-thirds of the village doctors currently practicing in rural China began their training as barefoot doctors.[4] This includes Chen Zhu, China’s current Minister of Health, who practiced as a barefoot doctor for five years before going on to receive additional training.[4]
The barefoot doctor system was abolished in 1981 with the end of the commune system of agricultural cooperatives. The new economic policy in China promoted a shift from collectivism to individual production by the family unit.[3] This shift caused a privatization of the medical system, which could not sustain the barefoot doctors.[3] The barefoot doctors were given the option to take a national exam, if they passed they became village doctors, if not they would be village health aides. Village doctors began charging patients for their services,[3] and because of the new economic incentives,[1] they began to shift their focus to treatment of chronic conditions rather than preventative care.[1]
By 1984, village RCMS coverage had dropped from 90% to 4.8%.[2] In 1989 the Chinese government tried to restore a cooperative health care system in the rural provinces by launching a nationwide primary health care program.[2] This effort increased coverage up to 10% by 1993.[2] In 1994 the government established “The Program”, which was an effort to reestablish primary health care coverage for the rural population.[2]
In 2003 the Chinese government proposed a new cooperative medical system that is operated and funded by the government.[1] This program is run more like an insurance program.[2] It pays 10 Renminbi per year for each person covered by the program, and by ensuring coverage for serious diseases.[1] This new program relies heavily on lessons learned from the times of the barefoot doctors, but faces many challenges in providing sufficient, cost-effective care for China’s rural populations.[1]"