Patients will benefit from reduced medical bills after the
government banned hospitals from making profits on check-ups using
CT scanners, X-ray machines and other equipments.
The move is a reaction to mounting public discontent with the
price of health care.
Public hospitals have been ordered that "no profit should be
considered" when conducting check-ups using 10 specific kinds of
machines.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the hospitals' pricing
supervisor authorized by the State Council, and the Ministry of
Health made a joint statement yesterday to launch pricing
principles.
"This is a major step forward as we tackle the pressing issue of
high medical bills," said a commission spokesman. Supervision will
mainly focus on the use of 10 machines including X-ray machines and
CT and magnetic resonance scanners.
The commission will soon establish a specific body to decide
prices of physical examinations when using the equipment. The
spokesman did not say how much bills would be cut, but accused some
hospitals of blindly importing expensive equipment and passing on
the costs to patients.
China's expenditure on imported medical equipment reached
US$1.98 billion during the first 11 months of this year, a 12
percent year-on-year increase, according to statistics from
NDRC.
To increase bills, and profits, some hospitals even required
patients to undergo unnecessary checks, the spokesman said, citing
the case of a patient with a common cold who was told to have a CT
scan.
Yesterday's decision was a continuation of the government's
campaign to cut medical bills. In September, a 40 percent reduction
in retail price of 22 types of medicine was announced.
In the past eight years, the government has enacted 16 waves of
price cuts covering 1,500 medicines. However, the majority are
still unhappy about high bills and the poor standard of care
offered at public hospitals.
(China Daily December 29, 2005)