Shanghai is short at least 5,000 family doctors

The Shanghai family doctor system has a shortage of about 5,000 physicians, said an official from the Shanghai health authority.

The city has piloted the family doctor system in 10 districts since 2011. About 2,280 family doctors currently serve 1.61 million families, about 36.5 percent of the city’s families.

“It proved to be a good measure in providing medical service to local residents,” said Liu Hongwei, the official from the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau who is in charge of community healthcare services. “But there is still a shortage of enough family doctors in the city.”

The family doctor system mainly focuses on health promotion and disease prevention. The doctors treat chronic and common diseases at community-level hospitals. They give health advice to local residents and are responsible for transferring patients to higher-level hospitals when necessary.

According to health officials, each family doctor serves 800 families, or 2,000 to 5,000 residents.

But the current amount of family doctors can serve only 40 percent of city’s residents. That still leaves a shortage of 5,000 family doctors, official said.

So far, the city is exploring effective ways to attract more qualified family doctors. It plans to expand the family doctor system to the whole city by the end of the year.