Foundation and AROC Representatives Tour Shandong Rehab Center - (l to r) April Cheng, Dr. Timothy Roe and Dr. Meng Roe of Cheng Health Foundation, Frances Simmonds of AROC and Dr. Ni Qingbin of Tai An City Central Hospital. October 2011

(Tai An City, PRC) Working in conjunction with the China Rehabilitation Research Center, representatives from the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre (AROC) and the Cheng Health Foundation toured several healthcare facilities to observe the development of medical rehabilitation in Shandong Province. The featured facilities included Central Hospital of Tai An City as well as a community based rehabilitation (CBR) program in a neighborhood health center. Following the tour CRRC, AROC and Foundation representatives met with local healthcare officials to discuss the status of medical rehabiliation in Shandong Province.

China faces a tremendous challenge in providing medical rehabilitation for its citizens. With over 83 million persons with disabilities, providing access to rehabilitative care has become a major priority for its healthcare system. Along with the construction of comprehensive rehabilitation facilities, the Chinese government has also committed to developing a system of CBR to meet the needs of disabled persons, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas. As a result the China Disabled Persons Federation reports that, as of yearend 2010, over 145,000 CBR stations have been established, providing care to nearly 12.7 million disabled persons.

Despite the successes of their CBR efforts, Chinese officials report that expanding access to medical rehabilitation faces numerous difficulties. Most pronounced is the severe shortage of physicians and therapists with formal training in medical rehabilitation. Funding for equipment and facility upgrades can also be strained, especially in rural areas. Despite these difficulties, Chinese medical rehabilitation professionals remain committed to increasing the availability of these important services to disabled persons throughout the country.