The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) on Tuesday - the 60th
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day - kicked off a weeklong
campaign to provide access to free health services for China's
rural poor.
During the campaign, the RCSC will organize artistic
performances to raise money, send medicine to the countryside and
provide free medical services for rural residents and migrant
workers.
"China's unevenly developed economy has resulted in medical
services in some remote and backward western rural areas being
unaffordable and inadequate," said Jiang Yiman, vice chairman of
the RCSC.
"We hope the fund-raising drive will lessen farmers' economic
burdens and let them share the fruits of China's reform and opening
up drive," Jiang said.
The RCSC has been involved in the trial of a rural cooperative
medicare system since 2005.
In 2006, the society provided 24.6 million yuan for 40 counties
for the trial and 302,600 farmers have benefited from the
RCSC-organized free medical services, free physical examinations
and discounted surgery.
Under the new cooperative medical care program launched in
2003,a farmer participant pays 10 yuan (US$1.3) a year, while the
state, provincial, municipal and county governments jointly put in
another 40 yuan (US$5.2) for the cooperative fund.
The participant can have part of his expenses reimbursed in case
of hospitalization.
According to the government work report by Premier Wen Jiabao in
March, the trial area of the rural cooperative medical care system
will be expanded this year to cover more than 80 percent of all
counties, county-level cities and city districts in China.
(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2007)