Home / Government / Opinion Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Speed up health reform
Adjust font size:

A silver lining around the deepening global crisis lies in the opportunity for Chinese policy-makers to accelerate social reforms crucial to reforming the country's growth model.

In this sense, the progress that China achieved in improving health care last year should justify more government efforts to press ahead with overdue healthcare reform.

A more inclusive and affordable healthcare system is badly needed to cushion the Chinese people against all future economic uncertainties. Moreover, government expenditure on healthcare will, in itself, give a huge boost to related industries and thus contribute to an early economic recovery.

A report issued by the Ministry of Health early this week showed that China's basic medical insurance system has been expanded to cover 1 billion of the country's 1.3 billion population.

With government subsidies doubled from 40 yuan (US$5.85) to 80 yuan (US$11.7) a year for each participant, the rural cooperative medical insurance system covered 814 million farmers by the end of last September, up 12.1 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, the basic medical insurance for urban employees already covered more than 180 million people nationwide.

As a result, the ratio of individual health expense to the country's total health expenditure decreased in spite of a national increase in health expenditure last year.

Admittedly, the part of health expenditure that basic medical insurance covers remains meager and the increase of government expenditure on healthcare is inadequate.

Yet, the inclusiveness of such basic medical insurance is of vital importance as the country is set to overhaul the current healthcare system.

According to the latest health reform plan passed by the State Council last month, the Chinese government will set up a universal primary medical service web for the 1.3 billion population and spend 850 billion yuan (US$123 billion) on it by 2011.

The country's still thin but inclusive healthcare insurance net has laid a key foundation for policymakers to promptly bring to fruition all the health reform measures.

Like other key social welfare reforms, it has become more than obvious that a more affordable and accessible healthcare system will provide a greater sense of security and thereby imbue citizens with sufficient confidence to save less and thus raise their purchasing power.

Since China is determined to make domestic consumption a key engine for future growth, no reason exists to delay healthcare reform any longer. It should be near the top of the government's list of priorities.

(China Daily February 20, 2009)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>

Product Directory
China Search
Country Search
Hot Buys
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产一区日韩二区欧美三区| 蜜臀91精品国产免费观看| 黄色a级片在线| 私人玩物无圣光| 最新欧美精品一区二区三区| 成人亚洲欧美日韩在线观看| 国产精品日本一区二区在线播放 | 国产3344视频在线观看| 亚洲第一页视频| 久久国产精品久久久久久| AV无码小缝喷白浆在线观看| 黄A无码片内射无码视频| 猛男狂搡美女免费| 日本免费人成黄页网观看视频| 国内外一级毛片| 四虎永久在线日韩精品观看| 亚洲大片在线观看| 三上悠亚精品一区二区久久| 欧美成人久久久| 波多野结衣导航| 成人Av无码一区二区三区| 国产欧美精品一区二区| 健身私教弄了我好几次怎么办| 久久国产精品免费视频| 91丁香亚洲综合社区| 精品国产污污免费网站| 日韩欧美亚洲精品| 国产美女自慰在线观看| 再深点灬舒服灬太大了ship| 久久水蜜桃亚洲AV无码精品| 269tv四季直播苹果下载| 男女一级毛片免费视频看| 无码精品国产一区二区三区免费| 国产白浆视频在线播放| 亚洲第一永久在线观看| 一区二区三区免费高清视频| 豪妇荡乳1一5白玉兰免费下载| 欧洲精品一区二区三区| 国内精品一区二区三区在线观看| 再深点灬舒服灬太大了添网站| 免费视频淫片aa毛片|