Area: 9,596,960 sq km (slightly smaller than the US) 
Capital: Beijing
Population: 1,321,851,888
Government: Communist State

 

Background on the Political Climate in China:

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation.

After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled.

For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

Toajing County Hospital Cardiac Care Installation


Bob Pagett, Charlene Pagett and Ray Schmidt traveled to China to install cardiac care equipment in the Toajing County Hospital in May, 2008. Rotary International and GE graciously donated the equipment, and we want to thank them for their continued partnership in our work.

Toajing County Hospital is a referral hospital to 850,000 people who reside in the city and roughly 2 million more in the surrounding area. Dr. Chang, a Cardiologist at the hospital, helped train local doctors and nurses on using the new equipment, which included six GE Dash Monitors that measure vital signs. This equipment is certain to save lives and give hope to people in the region suffering from heart-related illnesses.

Assist International and GE also provided 6 Dinamap monitors, 1 LOGIQ Ultrasound and 1 CIC Pro Clinical Information Center to the hospital.

Your donations helped pave the way for this important piece of equipment, and we want to thank you for your partnership in our mission, too.