Urgent remedy sought for pediatrician shortage

The stressful, and sometimes dangerous, working conditions, scant salaries and low social status endured by children's doctors in China has resulted in a lack of qualified practitioners. Cang Wei reports from Nanjing.

Zhang Fan, a sophomore at a medical school in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province in East China, is considering which department to choose when he graduates.

"Many teachers and classmates have urged me not to choose obstetrics and gynecology because of the great pressure of work, but no one has suggested that I should not choose pediatrics or emergency treatment because they have already been ruled out of the list of options. Most medical students don't even consider them.