Foreword

　　Tibetan population has posted a healthy gain from 1 million in 1953 to 2.4287 million today, and the life span of the Tibetans has extended from 36 years to 65 years. How could such achievement been made?

　　The answer lies in improved medicare service in the autonomous region, which has the smallest population density in China.

　　In old Tibet, groaning under the feudal serfdom, the Tibetans led a dire poverty life. As there were only three official medical institutions (staffed with less than 100 medical workers) in the region, diseases spread unchecked.

　　The situation continued until after the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951. In the whole region, there are now 1, 300 medical institutions staffed with more than 10,000 medical workers. Free medicare is practiced, and the Tibetans enjoy good health.