Home>News Center>Life
         
 

What price healthcare reform
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-01-12 09:10

Liu Guosheng, a 38-year-old migrant worker in Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province, was diagnosed with tuberculosis in a free health examination last month. That was the first health examination he had had in the past 20 years.

Liu said that he had been feeling unwell for a long time but had decided that his slender income would be better spent on his two children's education rather than his going to hospital.

A government-initiated public health campaign started last November and has provided free health checks for 14,000 might workers in Wuhan. The results are dismal.

It was found that 20.3 percent of those examined have hepatitis B, a contagious liver disease; 8 percent, fatty liver; and, 10 percent, cardiovascular diseases.

Female migrant workers were worse off - up to 67 percent of them were suffering from one kind of genital infection or another.

Few of those diagnosed had ever gone to see a doctor before to receive proper treatment.

In most cases, they first wait for the symptoms to go away by themselves. If this wait-and-see method does not work out, they go to a pharmacy and buy medicines based on their own judgment of their illness.

Some may have no choice but to seek professional help eventually and that's where they get stripped to their shirts.

Remember, migrant workers are no more than just a fraction of the 60 percent of Chinese people who do not have any type of medical insurance.

There are farmers, laid-off workers, jobless people, to name just a few, out there on their own for fear of having to face daunting medical bills.

Making sure that these people can afford to see doctors is the biggest challenge in China's healthcare reforms. Minister of Health Gao Qiang has suggested a possible solution.

A lovely idea

Addressing a national health conference last Saturday, Gao put forward the idea of "low-price hospitals." He said that each city should select a few public hospitals and convert them into low-price hospitals for low-income groups.

According to Gao, the hospital would return all its revenue to the government and the government would be responsible for the hospital's budget auditing and financing.

A lovely idea indeed. But also a difficult one.

First of all, a clear and detailed definition of "low price" will have to be framed, otherwise it's just another high-flying concept that will never get off the ground.

Secondly, selecting the hospitals will be a major problem. Many public hospitals and their medical personnel are now thriving on charging patients soaring bills and by receiving kickbacks. Becoming a low-price hospital will mean a huge financial loss, and behind-the-scenes resistance and maneuvering can be expected.

Thirdly, retention of staff will be another problem. With "high-price" hospitals emerging, keeping qualified personnel and services available in the few "low-price" hospitals may become extremely costly for the government.

Public hospitals should never be driven by profit maximizing.

With the aim of covering the basic healthcare needs of society, they are a safety net for ordinary people - especially low-income earners - if they become ill.



One-eyed cat had medical condition
Siu Mei Ki: Ekin Cheng's girlfriend again?
A new star detected
  Today's Top News     Top Life News
 

Four Chinese pilgrims among 345 dead in Hajj stampede

 

   
 

Extraction of bear bile 'painless, necessary'

 

   
 

China warns Japan about Lee Teng-hui visit

 

   
 

China, India sign energy agreement

 

   
 

Thawing ice 'no threat to water supply'

 

   
 

US House group in China for visit

 

   
  Researcher: Early man was hunted by birds
   
  Man burns himself to death due to divorce
   
  Abandoned peacocks face starvation danger
   
  Nation's richest divulge luxury tastes
   
  What price healthcare reform
   
  Jolie expecting a baby with Brad Pitt
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Rural kids 'need better healthcare'
   
Healthcare company Herbalife steps up presence
   
Healthcare umbrella to cover farmers
   
New health insurance fails to cover many
   
Healthcare co-ops expanding cautiously
   
Co-operatives of healthcare benefit farmers
   
Agfa to grow with China
  Feature  
  Could China's richest be the tax cheaters?  
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲国产欧美一区二区欧美| 国产日韩精品一区二区在线观看播放| 久久99中文字幕| 樱桃视频影院在线观看| 亚洲精品无码乱码成人| 羞差的漫画sss| 国产午夜激无码av毛片| h在线观看视频免费网站| 在线观看不卡视频| 一区二区三区四区无限乱码| 日批日韩在线观看| 久久综合九色综合欧美播| 欧美性狂猛bbbbbxxxxx| 人妻无码久久中文字幕专区| 精品综合久久久久久888蜜芽| 国产免费内射又粗又爽密桃视频| 免费在线观看h| 国产精品videossex另类| 777成影片免费观看| 天堂AV无码AV一区二区三区| 国产精品无码久久av| 中文字幕亚洲精品无码| 日本理论片午午伦夜理片2021 | 国产成人yy免费视频| 三级国产女主播在线观看| 国产资源在线观看| 99久久伊人精品综合观看| 天天干天天操天天摸| 一二三四视频免费视频| 性色av无码一区二区三区人妻| 亚洲av无码一区二区三区不卡| 久久精品这里热有精品| 99爱免费视频| 久草视频在线免费| 精品香蕉在线观看免费| 欧美疯狂做受xxxxx高潮| 日本japanese丰满护士| 大陆黄色a级片| 国产在线a不卡免费视频| 伊人久久中文字幕| 久久精品一区二区三区日韩 |