Abstract: Health care for ethnic minorities has a bearing on the health of the people of all nationalities and the development of various undertakings in minority areas. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in the face of the grim medical situation in minority areas, the new regime under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) not only enabled the rapid development of public health service in minority areas, but also achieved great progress in disease prevention and treatment through the means of improving grassroots health organizations, setting up roving medical teams, carrying out health education, and mass sanitation campaigns. Smallpox, bubonic plague and venereal diseases that endangered the health of all ethnic groups were basically eliminated, and the malaria pandemic was controlled; other diseases were also markedly reduced. The situation of lack of medical care and medicine, rampant diseases, and population decline in minority areas has been greatly improved. Moreover, the development of public health service has to a great extent united the people of minority nationalities and strengthened solidarity of New China, thus promoting the cause of social progress in minority areas.

Key words: the early days of New China, ethnic minority areas, disease epidemic, social response