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Life expectancy in Tibet to rise

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IANS Lhasa
Last Updated : Nov 21 2015 | 5:13 PM IST

The average life expectancy in Tibet is expected to rise to 70 years in the next five years.

Medical services in rural areas will be greatly improved to achieve this goal, said Zeng Wanming, head of the region's organisation department.

The average life expectancy in Tibet was 68.2 years in 2013, up from 35.5 years before the Chinese takeover in 1951, Xinhua news agency reported.

The low life expectancy was mainly due to the high altitude and difficult access to medical services in the scarcely-populated region.

"In high-altitude areas, even a cold can be lethal to the infirm," said Tashi, a doctor, adding that before the arrival of village doctors, many rural Tibetans had to travel miles to see a doctor.

Every village in Tibet now has a clinic and an average of two medical practitioners.

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First Published: Nov 21 2015 | 5:00 PM IST

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