Nearly 65 percent of single-child families in Beijing see medical services as the biggest issue in their lives today rather than pension, employment, education or housing, a survey by the Jiusan Society said.

The single-child allowance from the government (10 yuan, or $1.28, per week) hardly helps solve these problems, a report by Jiusan Society, one of China's non-Communist parties, said last week.

Though most single-child families lead better lives, their children's medical coverage, education and employment still remain major issues. There are 1.45 million single children under the age of 18, and the number of those who are between 19 and 30 is 2.5 million.

(China Daily January 30, 2007)