Medical reform is a hotly discussed topic in China. On August
22, results of a poll of 733 respondents aged over 30 was published
by China Youth Daily. The e-poll, organized by China
Youth Daily and sponsored by China Central Television (CCTV),
was conducted from August 9 to 11 via CCTV's polls and surveys
Internet service, ePanel. Poll results show that 90 percent of
respondents are unsatisfied with attempts at reform over the last
10 years.
"It's getting more and more difficult to see a doctor although
there are more and more hospitals in China," was a common
complaint. About 78.9 percent of respondents feel there are more
hospitals now compared with 10 years ago.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health revealed that in 1980,
the number of health organizations in China was 180,000. In 2000,
the number reached 320,000. Despite this 60.1 percent of
respondents think it is more difficult to see a doctor these days
than it was ten years ago.
One of the reasons raised was registration. According to another
survey conducted by China Youth Daily in June, waiting
time just to register was a major bugbear. About 32 percent of
those surveyed said they had to start queuing at seven or eight in
the morning to guarantee an appointment; 23.2 percent said they
usually get in the queue at five or six in the morning; and 5.5
percent said they've even had to get in line a day in advance to
register.?
Cost is another prohibitive factor. According to the more recent
poll, 89.8 percent think the medical expenses to income ratio has
increased a great deal over the last 10 years.?
Many are so put off by the high cost of medical treatment that
they sometimes resort to self-healing.
According to the third national health service investigation
organized by the Ministry of Health in 2003, 48.9 percent of people
who ought to have sought medical attention did not. A further 29.6
percent who should have been hospitalized were not.
In the common man's opinion, the rising cost of medical
treatment is attributable to a shift in focus and priority as far
as hospitals are concerned. According to the poll, 81.2 percent of
respondents think that hospitals today are concerned only with
making profits, and not with working in the interest of the
public.?
According to the Decision on Medical Reform and Development
issued by the State Council in 1997, China's health industry should
be an undertaking of public welfare.
Yu Zonghe, former head of the Medical Policy Department with the
Ministry of Health said that medical reform never means to be
commercial but it has to be adapted to the market economy.
However, Gao Qiang, minister of health, pointed out in his July
1 report on the health situation in China that the reduction of
government investment in the last few years, the ineffective
supervision of health departments and poor management in some
medical organizations, are to blame for the rapid rise in the cost
of medical treatment.
The welfare aspect seems to have taken a back seat.
According to the analysis of Tang Jun, a researcher from the
Social Policy Research Center of China's Academy of Social
Sciences, another development worth noting is the changing face of
the medical worker. More specific, the doctor.
It would seem that hospitals are doing what they can to raise
the incomes of doctors with the end result that it is only small
group people that eats into a large chunk of resources.
Doctors used to be held in high esteem for helping the ill and
saving the dying. But these days, many feel doctors, like
hospitals, are only in it for the money. The poll indicates that
the status of doctors has dropped dramatically in the eyes of 75.7
percent of respondents.
(China.org.cn by Wang Qian, August 24, 2005)