Source: CCTV.com
04-07-2009 11:06
These are some highlights of the healthcare reform plan.
An Innovative Concept: Basic health care as a "public service"
The core principle of the health care reform is to provide basic health care as a "public service" to the people. This is set to be the first time China has guaranteed its people's health on the basis of clear systems and is seen as a milestone for the country's health care services.
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| These are some highlights of the healthcare reform plan. |
Medical Insurance: An effective way to make medical services affordable
The blueprint aims to extend basic medical insurance to cover over 90 percent of Chinese people in three years. This is seen as crucial to help ease ordinary people's burdens of affording expensive medical services.
Establishing a Basic Medicine System to Curb Drug Prices
The blueprint sets out plans to increasingly regulate the pricing systems of medical services and medicines. Controls are in place on the price of basic services at non-profit hospitals and essential medicines those hospitals use. This aims to lower drug prices... And it's an effective way to guarantee ordinary people access to medicines.
Increasing Gov't Funding to Public Hospitals
Under the plan, public hospitals will receive more government funding and be allowed to charge higher fees for treatment. But they will be eventually banned from making profits through subscribing expensive medicines and treatment... which is currently common practice. Central and local governments will also increase investment in grassroots-level clinics.
Transforming Gov't Functions for Hospital Establishment and Administration
The blueprint promotes the separation of government functions to establish and administrate hospitals. This is designed to enhance governments' supervision of public hospitals and also boost the diversification of hospitals.
Other highlights include reforms in physician systems to boost the flow of medical talents.
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Editor:Qin Yongjing
