Compensation plan for vaccine victims

BEIJING -Families of patients who die or are left disabled due to vaccines may soon receive massive payouts from the government, as the capital looks to close a major loophole in its health system.

Currently, compensation claims can only be made against clinics and manufacturers if tests prove the medicine that was administered did not comply with the national standard.

However, a Beijing Health Bureau draft regulation now open to public consultation aims for the first time to ensure help for those seriously affected by any of the 16 vaccines in the city's immunization program.