Beijingers' average life-expectancy at the end of 2001 hit a record high of 75.85 years old -- almost two years more than that recorded five years ago. Even in developed countries, it usually takes ten years or so to prolong people's average life-expectancy for two years.
Professor Xie Xueqin of the Beijing Disease Control Center attributed this achievement to the improvements in environmental sanitation and medical conditions after Beijing began in 1997 to invest significant funds in sanitary construction. Now Beijingers have 6.31 beds per thousand people and 8.25 medical staffs per thousand, an increase over the former 6.06 beds and 7.62 medical staff respectively. A total of 510 community medical service centers dot the city. All the centers have established and keep up to date health records for the nearby residents.
Highly efficient first-aid networks also cover all the districts of Beijing, as reported in Beijing Morning Post. Under the direction of the Beijing Emergency Medical Center, people anywhere in Beijing who dial 120 will get first-aid within five to ten minutes. The Beijing Emergency Medical Center is equipped with a first-aid helicopter and can handle emergency situations happening within 600 kilometers.
(新华社[Xinhua News Agency], translated by James Liu for china.org.cn May 17, 2002)
