China Philanthropy

A 5 Minute Guide to Mental Health in China

In the past year new information has emerged concerning the state of mental healthcare and the mentally ill in China. According to the World Health Organization, mental illness supersedes heart disease and cancer as the most taxing health concern in China’s healthcare system. An estimated 100 million people in China have some type of mental disorder although some say this number is likely higher due to the dearth of information available and the lack of public awareness regarding mental illness. Xinhua reports that “twenty percent of all ailments and injury-led disabilities in China” are caused by mental illness. Dr. Huang Yueqin, director of the National Center for Mental Health, told Telegraph that she estimates only about 5 percent of those with illnesses are aware of it and receive treatment. (It is important to note the range of illnesses covered under these statistics, which include anxiety and Internet addiction as well as depression and schizophrenia.)

A Safer China: China Announces a New Crackdown on Human Trafficking

Human trafficking affects an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people every year. This global problem affects every part of the world and devastates not only those who are taken from their homes, but their families who are often helpless to find missing family members. The majority of trafficked persons are women and children who are often the most vulnerable to predators. Because of the nature of trafficking it is impossible to know just how many people are kidnapped each year. Estimates range broadly with anywhere between several thousand to several hundred thousand women and children trafficked both internally and internationally. Current news reports say that between 30,000 and 60,000 children are reported missing each year and it is certain that many of these are trafficked.

Take a Number: China’s Medical System

According to Foreign Policy, over 200 million Chinese have no insurance. Clinics are few in number; consequently, hospitals are the only option for most citizens. There are many reasons for the lack of sufficient health care in China, including the privatization of medical care, rising fees, and the growing chasm between urban and rural. Over 27 years the central government cut healthcare funding by more than 15% which resulted in higher medical fees. Hospitals needed to remain profitable to stay open and corruption slipped in as they maintained profits by raising medicine prices and prescribing unnecessary treatments. Cancer and other pollution related diseases are on the rise yet many Chinese do not go to the hospital because they know treatments will cost more than they can afford to pay. The wealthier members of society demand better hospitals while the poorer simply want affordable health care.

Literacy in China

I was doing some research on literacy in China this week and came across a great report by UNESCO. The history and progress of China’s literacy is an important part of the country’s overall educational health, so I wanted to highlight some of the information I’ve gleaned in my reading.

Trying to find a consensus on the growth of literacy in China is like trying to find a grey rock in a quarry of gravel. The one agreement is that literacy is growing, but sorting through the data for the most reliable information proves challenging. For the first fifty years of the 20th century, illiteracy (不识字或识字很少) in China remained at a steady 85-80% of the population. Thereafter, the figures start to vary. Below is a broad view of literacy rates:

Book Review: Rural Policy in China – The Recent OECD Review

We're excited to bring you our first guest post. Graham Thompson of The Blackford Trust (who we recently featured in an interview) kindly offered to review the OECD's recent report on rural policy in China. Read all about it!

Despite China's drive towards urbanization, it remains a predominantly rural country, with over 700m people living in the countryside – nearly twice the rural population in all OECD countries.  Rural policy remains fundamental to China's future, and has been examined in great detail in a recent publication by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development).  The Rural Policy Review of China, published in March 2009, was a collaborative effort between Chinese government and OECD researchers.  In addition, the work was partly funded by the devolved government of Scotland, a fact that is greatly welcomed by this writer, as a former Scottish rural policy official and Chairman of a charity that is focused on enhancing Scottish/China links.

Vocabulary Lesson #3: The Three Rural Issues

n. The Three Rural Issues (三农问题S­ān Nóng Wèntí)

In the 1990s researchers designated Agriculture (农业 nóngyè), Rural Areas （农村 nóngcūn）, Farmers （农民 nóngmín) as three issues vital to the development of China, all three in need of significant restructuring to improve the country’s health. Both Deng Xiaoping and Wen Jiabao publically addressed the need for reform in these three areas, but the past five years have seen increased dissonance in rural areas and consequently, increased attention on the subject.