This week in Shanghaiist
Too much of a good thing, as they say, is bad. China is supposed to have the world's highest rate of antibiotics abuse and the problem, apart from killing an estimated 80,000 a year, is leading to an increased resistance of bacteria to drugs, resulting in a rising number of recessive syphilis cases, among others. An ambitious two-year project has now been launched to train over 30,000 medical staff across China in the responsible use of antibiotics.
According to a TIME article in 2005, China's "tendency to overprescribe antibiotics can be traced back to its traditional medical beliefs". So the next time a Chinese doctor offers to put you on a drip for a minor ailment, stand up for yourself and say no.
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They might also want to educate the pharmacists that sell antibiotics over the counter like tic tacs, without any prescriptions!
I think a significant part of the problem is hospitals that are looking to make money by selling medications. I am not so sure that "traditional medical beliefs" explains it because it chalks up the whole problem to ignorance.