Beijing is the capital city of China. The city ranks globally among the highest populous cities. It carries a rich history that dates back to centuries ago with history indicating the area to have been inhabited by Homo erectus. Its modern development started with the end of Chinese Civil War and creations of People’s Republic of China when it was elevated to be the country’s capital (Clark, 2003). With the industrial revolution, the city continues to grow beyond its initial wall and the design of the modern town began to take shape. It is this development that saw immense migration into the city raising the need for the government to improve on provision of social needs of the residents. Key among the needs was healthcare services to serve the ever growing population. Despite the numerous efforts by the Chinese government to offer health services, population and industrial growth in the city has however resulted to healthcare concerns as cases of chronic conditions continue to increase in the city. Environmental pollution, change in lifestyles and eating habits are some of the contributing factors that have been attributed to this problem (Haw, 2007).
Change in lifestyles continues to be a global challenge in management of chronic conditions. As the city of Beijing continues to grow industrially, workers continue to seek for fast foods, cafes and packed meals to keep them going. This leads to deficiency in intake of some important minerals that are required by the body to function effectively. Little or no time is also left to give the body adequate rest or engage in physical exercises and this has been a leading cause of obesity among other chronic conditions among the residents.
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The city has taken to the western model in development. This has seen creation of numerous bars and joints alongside other luxurious establishments (Clark, 2003). The working class in the city also gets financial empowerment that provides with the funds to engage in western lifestyles. For this reason, alcohol intake, smoking and other unhealthy habits have increased significantly within the city. While efforts are in place to educate the population on safe lifestyles and habits, they continue to be among the main causes of health problems in the city. Majority of those within the productive ages are engaged in busy working schedules and the little time left is spent in social establishments. This leaves little or no time for the population to seek medical examination in the available health facilities. In this case, victims who develop chronic health conditions remain undiscovered until it is too late (Weaver, 2002).
Popularity of Beijing has partly been a result of its industrial powers. Numerous industries were created within the city with intent of gaining workforce from the city’s population as well as being in a central location. Waste from these industries have for years been causing unnoticed damage to the population living within and around the city. Most of the industries within the city were created with the capitalists’ idea of generating more profits and in such way little or no efforts were made to safeguard the workers or the environment. This has been noted as a major problem that continues to affect the population to modern times (Weaver, 2002). Alongside the high medical needs by the community, chronic conditions continue to be identified and these are directly attributed to the impact of pollution by the industries. As for this reason, majority of the residents especially the aged are the most affected as they experienced the impact of pollution firsthand. Similar cases continue to be recorded among the young ones and this remains a big burden to the Chinese government (Wong, 2015).
References
Clark David, (2003). Urban World/Global City . 2nd Edition. ISBN 0-203-43878-7
Haw Stephen, (2007). Beijing: A Concise History . Routledge. p. 136.
Weaver Lisa Rose, (2002). More than a dust storm in a Chinese teacup. CNN .
Wong Edward, (2015). As Beijing Shuts Down Over Smog Alert, Worse-Off Neighbors Carry On. The New York Times .
