China has 3.6 mln medical doctors

BEIJING -- China had built a team of nearly 3.61 million medical doctors as of the end of 2018, sustaining the world's largest healthcare system, the country's top health official said Sunday.

These medical doctors treat about 8.3 billion patients on average every year, said Ma Xiaowei, head of the National Health Commission (NHC), in a report submitted to China's top legislature for review at its ongoing bimonthly session.

As of the end of 2018, the number of China's medical doctors increased by 80.4 percent compared with 1998, and the annual number of treated patients increased by 290.1 percent, according to Ma.

As of the end of 2018, the infant mortality rate in China dropped to 6.1/1,000 from 33.2/1,000 in 1998, and the maternal mortality rate dropped from 56.2/100,000 in 1998 to 18.3/100,000, Ma added.

Main health indicators of residents in China have surpassed the average standards in middle and high income countries, Ma said.

The NHC will actively work with the top legislature to revise and improve the law on medical doctors, he said.