日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
China
Home / China / Health

Finding dignity and peace at the end of life

As nation's population ages, cultural taboo of hospice care slowly lifted

By Cai Hong and Li Yi | China Daily | Updated: 2025-05-06 08:15
Share
Share - WeChat
Volunteers cut a patient's hair at a palliative care ward of Beijing Luhe Hospital. [LI YAOZHI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Challenges and promises

The hospice care movement traces its origins to Cicely Saunders, who founded St. Christopher's Hospice in the United Kingdom in 1967. It emerged in response to the limitations of modern medical technology, which, while capable of extending life, often prolonged the suffering of terminally ill patients. Hospice care offered an alternative — prioritizing comfort and dignity over curative treatments.

China began to explore the concept of hospice care in the late 1980s. In 1988, Tianjin Medical College established the country's first hospice care research center. However, progress remained minimal until the last decade. In 2016, hospice care was included in a national health policy document for the first time. The following year, the National Health Commission issued guidelines for its implementation, spurring rapid growth. The number of medical institutions with hospice care departments expanded from 276 in 2018 to 4,259 by the end of 2022.

Despite these strides, the need for palliative care far outweighs its availability. According to a 2024 report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, China officially entered the "deep aging" stage in 2023, with over 14 percent of its population aged 65 and above. By 2035, the country is projected to become a super-aged society.

China faces further hurdles in medication access. Of the country's 1 million registered medical institutions, only about 36,000 are authorized to prescribe painkillers, and fewer than 18,000 have intravenous pain medications. Fewer than 5,000 institutions nationwide have dedicated palliative care departments. These limitations severely constrain the development of home-based palliative care, which forms the backbone of services in countries like the United States, Japan, and Australia, where over 70 percent of palliative care is delivered at home.

"Palliative care is not about giving up on patients; it's about balancing the length and quality of life," said Chen Yan, a physician in the Palliative Care Department at Fuzhou First Hospital. "It's about focusing on the patient — considering their wishes and addressing their needs."

Fuzhou First Hospital's Palliative Care Department is the only one of its kind in a tertiary hospital in Fujian province. The multidisciplinary team includes doctors, nurses, social workers, volunteers and nutritionists. They offer therapies such as aromatherapy, music therapy, and lymphatic care to provide patients with comprehensive support.

Yet even as the number of hospice facilities increases, the gap between need and availability remains vast. According to Lu Guijun of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, more than 10 million people die annually in China, with approximately 3 million deaths from cancer. "Two-thirds of these individuals require palliative care services, but the actual coverage rate is extremely low," Lu said.

Although precise statistics are unavailable, industry experts estimate that less than 10 percent of terminally ill patients in China access palliative care each year. Even those fortunate enough to access such services often face significant hurdles, including long waitlists and limited resources.

|<< Previous 1 2 3 4 Next   >>|
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
 
主站蜘蛛池模板: 99在线精品视频在线观看 | 欧美一级片手机在线观看 | 三级网站免费看 | 伊人2222| 免费观看日韩大尺码观看 | 免费观看www | 亚洲综合精品成人 | 亚洲精品一区二区三区在线观看 | 国内精品一区二区在线观看 | 国产激情久久久久久熟女老人AV | 免费一级毛片 | 五月婷婷婷婷 | 国产一区二 | 香港三级日本三级人妇网站 | 波多野结衣手机在线播放 | 99热久久国产综合精品久久国产 | 国产乱子伦一区二区三区 | 国产成人不卡 | 免费一区二区三区免费视频 | 999久久久免费精品国产 | 99亚洲精品高清一二区 | 九九九精品视频免费 | 精品久久久久久亚洲 | 91免费国产精品 | 亚洲最新色 | √新版天堂资源在线资源 | 99精品免费久久久久久久久日本 | 国精品午夜dy8888狼人 | 5c5c5c精品视频在线观看 | 欧美激情免费观看一区 | 国产高清区 | 久久精品二| 久一在线视频 | 成人午夜久久 | 国产图片区 | 色综合天天综合网国产成人 | 国产欧美一区二区三区在线看 | 午夜视频在线免费观看 | 成人午夜亚洲影视在线观看 | 亚洲精品一区在线观看 | 日韩久久一区二区三区 |