The Turning Point of China’s Rural Public Health during the Cultural Revolution Period: Barefoot Doctors: A Narrative

BACKGROUND: According to Mao Zedong’s orders, the Communist Party of China made efforts to perform the system of ‘barefoot doctors’ even during the political mayhem of the Cultural Revolution. This pioneering medical system made a great contribution to medical services for rural communities and the public health system from 1960s to 1970s. Attracting new attention in the beginning of the 21st century, the barefoot doctor system influenced the formation of the Chinese medical system of unique structure. METHODS: Utilizing and analyzing the currently existing research outcomes on ‘barefoot doctors’, we investigated the two overlooked characteristics in the Chinese medical system originated from the barefoot doctor system; i) why the barefoot doctor system attracts new attention in the 21(st) century and ii) why and how Western and Chinese medicine could systematically be combined, which is the unique phenomenon in the world. RESULTS: The barefoot doctor system satisfied the Chinese government’s political aims and realistic request under the banner of Cultural Revolution simultaneously. In reality, this system gratified prevention-oriented modernized public health policy, reducing serious gap of medical services between cities and rural areas. Yet, this leading system was abolished in 1980s without timely use. CONCLUSION: In the present, the barefoot doctor system is holding limelight again as a successful precedent to intensify preventive public health service all over China, especially for underdeveloped areas. Moreover, Chinese medicine-friendly stance to utilize ‘doctors of Chinese medicine’, absolute majority over those of Western medicine, created the uniqueness of integrative medicine.