Children at risk from parental prescriptions

The lack of 'child-specific' medication has led many parents to give their children reduced doses of drugs intended for adults. While the practice often works, medical experts are concerned that imprecise doses and inappropriate treatments could endanger young people's safety. Yang Wanli reports.

Yan Mei is the mother of a 16-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. Her children have visited the hospital less than eight times in their lives - not because they have been in excellent health, but because Yan has been acting as the "family doctor" herself.

However, the 42-year-old from Sichuan province is not a pediatrician. In fact, she has no medical training at all, but she has often decision to "self-treat" her children's minor ailments, such as colds, slight fevers and gastrointestinal discomfort.