As the leader of one of the richest provinces in China, Li
Yuanchao has worked hard to ensure money is spent wisely.
The Party Secretary of east China's Jiangsu Province said 60
percent of the province's 400 billion yuan ($51.6 billion) earnings
in 2006 was channelled to the central government a sign there is
more than enough money to go around.
"As Jiangsu has benefited from the country's reform and
opening-up policy, we should make these contributions to our nation
in return," the Party secretary said in an interview with the China
Central Television.
As for the rest of the revenue, Li has prioritizied spending on
key provincial needs, particularly for the poor.
"No matter whether it is in the urban area or the rural area, we
must make sure that the poorest people in Jiangsu will be able to
afford to eat, to dress, and to have a house to live," Li said.
A fair healthcare and a housing system are the two major
priorities, he said.
Since 2002, the province launched a new healthcare system and
special hospitals that provide affordable treatment for the
poor.
The province has 32 such hospitals and the capital Nanjing, has
12.
Tan Xiaomin and Wu Xiufeng, a couple laid off in late 1990s,
never thought they could afford a surgery to cure Wu's waist
disease.
But because of the new welfare system, Wu was able to have
surgery and save more than 10,000 yuan ($1,292). Some 400,000
people like Wu were able to afford surgery last year.
"For the healthcare reform, the most urgent work is to let the
poorest be able to afford to see doctors." Li said.
Neighboring Shanghai, Jiangsu has a dense population of almost
75 million people.
Another welfare scheme, the "831 Project" housing system
launched in Nanjing in 2003, has enabled many poor people to buy
housing, with government grants.
Kai Weixing, of Yangzhou, who used to live in a tiny shoebox
apartment with his wife and daughter, just bought a new apartment,
spending a mere 60,000 yuan ($7,752), a third of the apartment's
normal price.
"My daughter is very pleased to have her own room, and we are
all very pleased," Kai said.
(China Daily March 8, 2007)