China's medical services are in dire need of reform, the
country's top political advisers and national lawmakers said
yesterday.
Sun Jiye, speaking at the ongoing Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee meeting, urged
the government to implement sweeping changes as the price of
medicines and medical services creep ever higher.
"The current exorbitant costs are beyond the reach of the
people," he said.
"While most commodity prices have declined since moving toward a
market economy, those for medicines and medical services are going
the other way," said Sun. "They have kept on rising, which has kept
many patients away from seeing doctors."
Per capita clinical payments and hospitalization expenses
increased annually by 13 and 11 percent respectively over the past
eight years, according to the Ministry of Health.
Experts say increased costs have taken a heavy toll and that the
public is complaining more.
A survey on the People's Daily's website www.people.com.cn found that
difficulties in accessing healthcare were among the top ten
concerns that people wanted the National People's Congress (NPC)
and CPPCC to address.
"Nearly 48.9 percent of the population cannot afford to see
doctors when they fall ill and 29.6 percent are not hospitalized
when they should be," Gao Qiang, vice-health minister, said earlier
this year.
The problem is more acute in rural areas, where only 20 percent
of medical resources are available despite being home to 70 percent
of the population.
"The difficulty in seeking medical help is one of farmers' three
biggest worries, the other two being natural disasters and no-one
taking care of them when they get old," said Mao Fengmei, an NPC
deputy and a farmer from northeast China's Liaoning Province.
China, with 22 percent of world's population, only has about 2
percent of world's total medical resources.
"Inadequate government input into public hospitals is one of the
reasons leading to the medical bottleneck," Sun said, who listed
"laggard health care system reforms" and the unregulated market as
other factors.
"The government should boost its financial help for public
healthcare," Sun said. His view was shared by Wang Ying, an NPC
deputy from the southwest province of Yunnan.
"As healthcare is a government-initiated undertaking, the
government should shoulder its responsibility," said Wang, a
doctor.
In his government work report on Saturday, Premier Wen Jiabao
vowed to improve the medical system to make services more
accessible and affordable. He also pledged that rural areas will
receive special attention this year.
This was welcomed by Mao, the farmer turned legislator. "The
resolve shown by the government to address this issue is
encouraging," she said.
She added that improving the healthcare system in the
countryside is an urgent matter.
(China Daily March 10, 2005)