A healthy attitude towards health check (4)

Han resigned from a famous military hospital to start her business in 2002. At that time, only the elite, such as high-ranking officials or influential academics, could afford and enjoy regular medical checkups, mainly subsidized by government.

For ordinary citizens, medical checks were mainly used to sort out unsuitable or sickly candidates for work or academic openings, or when the military has recruitment exercises, and colleges had new admissions.

"In the past, medical checkups were barriers that many tried to avoid. But people now view them in a different light,” says Guan Jie, director with Medical Checkup Center of China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Guan is also a committee member of the Beijing Health Management Association.

Citizens have realized the benefits of a thorough medical examination.

In Beijing, there are 182 medical checkup institutes open to the public, according to Guan.

At the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, the medical checkup facility has been expanded to accommodate 300 patients a day.