BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The average life expectancy of people in Tibet has risen to 70.6 years, nearly double the figure of 35.5 years in 1959, a senior official of the Tibet Autonomous Region said Thursday.

There are now 1,548 health facilities providing 19,787 beds in Tibet, with nearly 20,000 health and medical workers, said Qizhala, chairman of the regional government, at a press conference held in Beijing.

Echinococcosis, a fatal parasitic tapeworm disease, and Kashin-Beck disease, a bone and joint disorder, as well as other endemic diseases related to high altitude, have been generally controlled or eradicated in Tibet, he said, noting that currently local health facilities in the region can provide treatment to 367 serious diseases.

Medical services have been greatly improved in Tibet, as China has been supporting medical workers there to receive training in other parts of the country and encouraging health facilities in other areas to send personnel to train their counterparts in Tibet, Qizhala said.

The population of the region has grown from 1.23 million in 1959 to 3.44 million at present.