Low standards for doctors impacting China's health reform
13-Jul-17, Caixin Global
A shortage of general practitioners and the lack of professional qualifications among nearly half the doctors in the country are undermining China’s efforts to overhaul its health care system.
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Image: Visual China
Only 51 percent of doctors, including surgeons, in the country have a five-year medical degree - the minimum requirement to get a physician’s license in many countries, data from the NHFPC showed. In comparison, in the US, trainees need to complete a four-year undergraduate-degree program, then spend another four years in medical school and complete three to seven years of residency training before they are eligible for a medical license.
In China, individuals with a three-year “advanced medical diploma” from a university and two to three years of residency training can get a doctor’s license.