PHA-Exch> China medical reform plan passed

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: England, Dr Sarah (CHN) <englands at wpro.who.int>
From: Susan Lawrence slawrence at TobaccoFreeKids.org


China has finally passed its long-awaited medical reform plan. Details so
far seem to be very skimpy. The plan is being touted as providing basic
medical coverage to all 1.3 billion citizens, but it may be very basic
coverage indeed. One line in this report talks about an annual subsidy of
120 rmb (about $18) per person, which is nothing. Economists  in the US are
asking questions about the promised spending of $850 billion rmb by 2011,
suggesting that this is what the Chinese government would have spent anyway.

Have not seen any specific mention yet of tobacco being a major contributor
to health care costs.

www.chinaview.cn <http://www.chinaview.cn/>   2009-01-21 21:22:17

·China's Cabinet passed a long-awaited medical reform plan.
·The plan promised to spend 850 billion yuan by 2011 to provide universal
medical service.
·Measures will be taken to provide basic medical security to all Chinese.

China's State Council, or Cabinet, passed a long awaited medical reform plan
which promised to spend 850 billion yuan (123 billion U.S. dollars) by 2011
to provide universal medical service to the country's 1.3 billion
population.(Photo: News.cn <http://news.cn/> )

   BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council, or Cabinet, passed a
long awaited medical reform plan which promised to spend 850 billion yuan
(123 billion U.S. dollars) by 2011 to provide universal medical service to
the country's 1.3 billion population.
   The plan was studied and passed at Wednesday's executive meeting of the
State Council chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
   Medical reform has been deliberated by authorities since 2006.
   Growing public criticism of soaring medical fees, a lack of access to
affordable medical services, poor doctor-patient relationship and low
medical insurance coverage compelled the government to launch the new round
of reforms.
   According to the reform plan, authorities would take measures within
three years to provide basic medical security to all Chinese in urban and
rural areas, improve the quality of medical services, and make medical
services more accessible and affordable for ordinary people.
   The meeting decided to take the following five measures by 2011:
   -- Increase the amount of rural and urban population covered by the basic
medical insurance system or the new rural cooperative medical system to at
least 90 percent by 2011. Each person covered by the systems would receive
an annual subsidy of 120 yuan from 2010.
   -- Build a basic medicine system that includes a catalogue of necessary
drugs produced and distributed under government control and supervision
starting from this year. All medicine included would be covered by medical
insurance, and a special administration for the system would be established.
   -- Improve services of grassroots medical institutions, especially
hospitals at county levels, township clinics or those in remote villages,
and community health centers in less developed cities.
   -- Gradually provide equal public health services in both rural and urban
areas in the country.
   -- Launch a pilot program starting from this year to reform public
hospitals in terms of their administration, operation and supervision, in
order to improve the quality of their services.
   Government at all levels would invest 850 billion yuan by 2011 in order
to carry out the five measures according to preliminary estimates.
   The meeting said the five measures aimed to provide universal basic
medical service to all Chinese citizens, and pave the road for further
medical reforms.
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