Current Status of Pediatric Rehabilitation Services for Children with Disabilities

OBJECTIVE: To survey the current status of rehabilitation programs for disabled children in Korea. METHOD: Questionnaires were distributed to hospitals and rehabilitation centers around the country which provides pediatric rehabilitation services to disabled children. Questions included the number of physiatrists, therapists specialized in managing children, frequency and duration of therapeutic session, waiting period required to receive the therapy, and burden of costs, etc. RESULTS: Survey found 2.2 mean number of physiatrists in 45 hospitals and only one rehabilitation center had full time physiatrist among 21 rehabilitation centers. These institutions had mean number of 2.3 physical therapists, 1.4 occupational therapists, and 1.1 speech therapists. According to parents, these children received average of 16 times of therapeutic sessions in a month. For most of patients, they had to wait 6.8 months to start the physical therapy, 9.4 months for occupational therapy, and 13.8 months for speech therapy. The whole cost of receiving the treatment was found to be 586,000 won in a month. CONCLUSION: Survey found the medical health system and human resources related to pediatric rehabilitation were not enough and they have to be supported to satisfy the needs of appropriate pediatric rehabilitation program around the country.

Vigorously promoting reform of the medical health system and accelerating development of community health services / 中华医院管理杂志

A nationwide pilot project concerning community health sendees, the major part and chief link of the reform in the urban medical health system, has basically come to an end. The author expounds against the background of reform in the health system in China the motives and orientation of reform in the medical health system and the current situation of and problems in the development of community health services. It is pointed out that advancing community health services entails all of the following:①genuinely transforming concepts and seeking unity of thinking; ②adopting the mechanism of competition and enhancing the sense of innovation; ③persisting in keeping abreast of the times and laying emphasis on reform and development;④accelerating the readjustment of resources and optimizing resource allocation; ⑤ceating a sound environment and seeking common development; ⑥giving priority to the improvement of quality and avoiding superficial transformation.