Overloading work and lack of health consciousness have become the key factors that cause health problems in science and technology professionals. Investigation and studies on the health issues of scientists and engineers in Shanghai by some members of CAST group in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) revealed the above conclusion.

The members group visited Baosteel Group Corporation, Shanghai Medical Association, Tongji University, MicroPort Medical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and had talks with scientists and engineers there.

Health problem has always been an important issue for Chinese scientific and technological professionals. As early as 11 years ago, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) had made a survey on the age of death of CAS staff, which showed an average age of 52 at death for active scientists, and 69 for the retired.

"The number of visits paid by patients to our hospital last year reached 1.45 million, that means an average of 3,500-4,000 visits per day. The doctors are working under such intense pressure that few doctors are able to spare time for a sup of water during work", said Dr Chi Fanglu from a hospital attached to Fudan University.  

Chi Fanglu said that, apart from the daily working burden, the medical staff are also facing other pressures like competition for promotion, performance appraisal and publication of SCI papers. A majority of the doctors are suffering from sub-healthy state from the long-term overloading work, causing an overall deterioration of health among this group of people.

Wu Yi, former vice president of Shanghai Tumor Hospital, said that although he and his wife were both medical workers, they wouldn't let their child take doctor as a career.

Li Weiguo, a researcher of Baosteel Research Institute, aged 63, said his health problem was a direct result of lack of health consciousness.  In the 2001 health examination, his blood glucose indicator reached 6.5. The doctor warned him of the danger but he ignored it because he wasn't feeling unwell. And then in 2004 the result hit 7.2. And his urine glucose rose to 14+. As he was diagnosed as diabetes, it was already too late to regret.

In the year 2007, the workers' union of Baosteel Group made a survey on the health status of scientists and engineers of Baosteel. Among the 5,000 samples, those who chose to take regular physical exercise accounted for less than 20 per cent, lower than the Baosteel average.  On how to spend the spare time off work, over 50 per cent chose "further learning" and "working on the internet", compared to 11 per cent who chose going out for body-building. Again these two ratios are lower than the Baosteel average.  When asked about the most concerned problems, only 15.38 per cent chose "health". Most scientists and engineers showed more concern to issues like children's education, housing condition, etc..