BAREFOOT DOCTORS IN CHINA

Abstract

The term barefoot doctors was 1st used in the Chiangchen People's Commune on the outskirts of Shanghai when a mobile service team formed by urban medical workers began to provide medical services in rural areas in 1965. They trained some young peasants to function as ''barefoot doctors.'' Barefoot doctors are now reaching almost every village, and currently they are the backbone of the rural cooperative medical service. This ''barefoot doctor'' service is operated by the peasants on a collective and mutual aid basis. Training barefoot doctors and running the cooperative medical service well are important to the development of China's rural health work with greater, faster, better, and more economical results. Part-time doctors who combine farm work with medical duties meet the needs of a developing country like China. The ''barefoot doctors'' participate in an inital training program which lasts from 3 to 6 months. After a period of practice, they receive additional training, including training groups by group and individual training by qualified doctors. The additional training is given year after year. The barefoot doctors are required to study both therapeutics and prophylaxis, both Western and traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, women barefoot doctors learn midwifery, maternal and child care, and the use of contraceptives along with other methods of family planning. The barefoot doctors in China's rural areas are important in implementing the policy of prevention 1st. Under the guidance of the commune hospitals, they devote much of their time to preventive medicine tasks.