A barefoot doctor is a medical practitioner who does not have formal medical qualifications but provides basic medical services to farmers in rural areas.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the government began training barefoot doctors to fill the gap in China's rural areas because of the lack of medical resources and the inability of many farmers to receive timely medical care. These barefoot doctors usually don't have decent medical equipment or medicines, and may have only received some basic medical training in the treatment of common ailments.
They usually traveled from village to village, providing farmers with basic medical services, such as treating colds, fevers, and minor diarrhea. In those days, barefoot doctors were an indispensable medical force in rural areas, and they made great contributions to safeguarding the health of farmers.
However, because barefoot doctors lacked specialized medical knowledge and skills, their medical standards were limited. If they encountered complicated diseases or surgeries, they might not be competent. In addition, due to the poor medical conditions in rural areas at the time, barefoot doctors often had to take matters into their own hands to solve various medical problems, such as amputation surgeries.
The qualifications that a barefoot doctor should have are as follows:
1. Good medical ethics and communication skills
As a provider of primary healthcare services in rural areas, a barefoot doctor needs to establish a good rapport with the farmers, and to understand their needs and conditions. Barefoot doctors need to be ethical and compassionate, caring about farmers' health problems and serving them warmly and thoughtfully. At the same time, barefoot doctors need to be able to communicate and clearly explain medical terms and instructions to farmers to ensure that they understand and follow the treatment plan correctly.
2. Basic medical knowledge and skills
Barefoot doctors need to have basic medical knowledge and skills to be able to recognize and deal with some common diseases and conditions. They need to understand the clinical manifestations, transmission routes and treatment methods of common diseases, and master basic clinical operation skills, such as intravenous injection, intramuscular injection and bandaging.
3. Adaptation to rural environment and self-protection ability
Barefoot doctors need to work in rural areas for a long time, and need to adapt to the rural environment and conditions. They need to have certain self-protection ability, such as being able to correctly judge the condition in the absence of medical treatment to avoid misdiagnosis and over-treatment. At the same time, barefoot doctors also need to pay attention to their own protection, to avoid infection or other accidental injury in the process of diagnosis and treatment.