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Catalogue provides more medicine to the insured
By Fu Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-09-17 00:57
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security Thursday released an updated
catalogue of medicines, provided for patients covered by medicine and
work-related injuries insurance.
More than 800 traditional Chinese medicines were included in the long-awaited
list, as well as nearly 1,000 Western medicines.
Vice-Minister of Labor and Social Security Wang Dongjin said at Thursday's
press conference the updated list indicates clinical and medicinal progress.
It will facilitate patients with more affordable choices, said Wang, adding
the list was made possible after an intensive three-month feasibility study of
more than 1,000 renowned doctors and researchers.
In 2000, the government released its first medicine catalogue for medicare
insurance, in which 415 Chinese medicines and 725 Western medicines were
included.
But Wang said the prices of medicines, which have aroused many complaints
among the public, will be decided after consulting with the National Development
and Reform Commission, which is authorized by the State Council to decide prices
of basic medicines covered by medicare insurance.
Over all, we aimed to make the medicines affordable, said Wang.
He said most Chinese are not yet affluent and China's economy needs further
development.
Statistics indicate on average a American spends US$5,000 on medicare
annually, but the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in China just
surpassed US$1,000 last year.
Prices of nearly 1,000 medicines have already been cut since 2001, saving
consumers 30 billion yuan (US$3.6 billion), the National Development and Reform
Commission said.
Gao Qiang, vice-minister of health, said there is still a lot of room for
medicine prices, both set by the government and adjusted by the market, to drop.
Some 118.475 million residents across China will have benefitted from a basic
medical insurance network by the end of August. And 56.89 million have been
covered by work-related injury insurance.
"But the health network is incomplete and is especially fragile in China's
rural areas,'' said Yao Hong, director with the ministry's Department of
Medicare Insurance.
In China's rural areas, there are about 30 million people living in poverty
and 60 million living close to the poverty line.
Statistics indicate that 90 per cent of farmers have to pay medical expenses
by themselves, compared to 60 per cent of urban dwellers, while farmers' incomes
are about one-third that of urban residents. As a result, many farmers are
unable to afford medical treatment.
The central government is determined to set up an effective welfare system to
offer medicare to 900 million farmers, the system is scheduled to be expanded to
cover all farmers by 2010.
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