The new medical reform plan would help patients and medical institutions in China to meet their needs and would provide a framework of basic Medicare network.
A new reform plan for the medical system was released by China in the last week of December 2007. According to the Ministry of Health, the plan was given to the 31st session of the NPC (Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress) in which it is said that the Chinese government needs to play the principle role in giving Medicare and pubic health services, as per the news published by CCTV.
Around 400 Million Chinese people do not come under any kind of Medicare network. The Ministry of Health has committed to establish the structure of basic Medicare system through 2010. The sole aim of setting up this framework is to reduce the increasing space between medical facilities in regions. The basic Medicare system would be established for the entire population by 2020.
As per the news published by Xinhuanet, Health Minister Chen Zhu said on December 26, 2007 that the new medical reform plan of China that aims to give basic services at reasonable costs would raise the government responsibility and effort.
The total expenditure of the healthcare sector is very high and the government funds contribute only 17% of it. However, the new fund established under the recent reform would be used to provide Medicare facilities to rural people and urban communities. The idea behind establishing this new fund is to reduce the healthcare cost borne by the patients and to meet the needs of medical institutions.
Critics said that the trend of selling medicines through medical institutions has made patients victims of profit and adding to woes, the hospitals are extracting money from patients. The Chinese government has decided to reduce hospitals’ role in selling drugs in order to reduce drug prices. The country would also establish an independent structure on drug manufacturing, access and distribution.
According to a Research Analyst at RNCOS, “Poor medical facilities and high drug prices are among many problems from which the Chinese medical sector is suffering and the new reform would help consumer as well as the health ministry. China had suffered from food security problems in past, now the fund established under new reform would help to cope with the food-related problems encountered in the health sector.”
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