A Study On Barefoot Doctors And The Rural Medical System Of Guangxi From 1965 To 1983

The construction of China ’ s medical and health care system,especially in rural areas,almost started from scratch after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.Guangxi,a frontier province inhabited by ethnic minorities,is not an exception.The development of the rural medical and health care system(RMHCS)is an important part of China’s medical and health history.Guangxi’s rural medical force was initially established in the early 1950 s,and a rural cooperative medical system(RCMS)was finally built in the 1970 s when barefoot doctors played an important role.During this decade,the goal that covering the minimum medical care needs of almost all counties and villages in Guangxi was realized through the widespread application of RCMS,as well as training semi-agricultural and semi-medical teams and building the three-level rural health care network.By the early 1980 s,Guangxi’s RMHCS has evolved to be more specialized and standardized.As an irreplaceable force in the development of RCMS during the cooperative medical period from the late 1960 s to the early 1980 s,the barefoot doctors had a considerable research value.This article studies the history of constructing Guangxi’s RMHCS,especially from the mid-1960 s to the early 1980 s,and indicates the difficulties and challenges it faced.It also focuses on the role that barefoot doctors played in the era of RCMS.After analyzing the historical background and tracing the development of Guangxi’s barefoot doctors,the author summarizes the realistic reasons that explain their booming and gives comments on the practical performance,including the process of their institutionalization,advantages,contributions,and limitations.The author also reveals the interrelationship and influence of the changing political,social,technological,and economic environment factors during the institutional construction of Guangxi’s RCMS and barefoot doctor,as well as the development of the entire RMHCS.The author further discusses the influences of barefoot doctors and RCMS in the rural areas in Guangxi as well as the historical inevitability of the withdrawal or transformation of barefoot doctors by reviewing the progress made in RMHCS construction during the development of barefoot doctors,hoping to find out some experience from this history that may enlighten the future of RMHCS.