Experts: Unnecessary tests and prescriptions drive up medical costs

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-07-2009 15:18

Experts say a major reason for high medical costs in China is unnecessary tests and prescriptions. Uninformed patients have no choice but to follow doctors' instructions. For doctors, experts believe the phenomenon is not simply a lack of ethics.

Experts say a major reason for high medical costs in China  is unnecessary tests and prescriptions. Uninformed patients  have no choice but to follow doctors' instructions.

Over 95 percent of hospitals in China are public. Government funding accounts for less than 10 percent of their budget, and hospitals must make up the balance. Salaries and benefits for most hospital staff are directly linked to treatment and medicine fees.

Li Weiping, researcher of Chinese Ministry of Health, said, "Public distrust of hospitals is on the rise as people think doctors only work for money not for patients. Some medical malpractice lawsuits require the defendant bear responsibility for providing evidence. Doctors would require physical exams to collect evidence and avoid risks. But afterwards, patients wonder why a big exam was necessary for a minor illness. Mistrust only grows, and the vicious cycle will go on and on."

Editor:Zhang Ning