Help for the needy

Beijing resident Liao Dan's case provides some food for thought.

The 41-year-old laid-off worker cheated a hospital out of 170,000 yuan ($26,650) in medical expenses for his wife's dialysis over five years. He now faces a prison sentence of three to 10 years.

The touching story of an impoverished man risking jail to save his ailing wife has aroused the sympathy of the public, who have donated 300,000 yuan to the couple and expressed the hope the court will show leniency.

That he has committed a crime is undeniable, and he must pay the price. But his case should alert us to real-world difficulties facing those in need.

In theory, most citizens, urban or rural, are covered by medical security and there are relief mechanisms for those in extreme poverty. But Liao's case has highlighted some of the problems that prevent the needy from getting what they are entitled to under current policy frameworks.

His wife was ineligible for Beijing's medical security because she was not a registered Beijing resident. Paying 50 yuan a year to the rural cooperative healthcare system at the place where his wife was registered would have enabled her to get some of her medical expenses reimbursed.

However, Liao did not do this as his wife has to receive treatment in Beijing and he would have had to travel back and forth to his wife's hometown to get all the transactions done.

Fortunately, no matter what judgment the court delivers, his wife will not have to worry about the otherwise unaffordable expenses.

Along with the donations, the sub-district office where he lived in Beijing has said that his case has been reported to the higher-level authorities, so he can receive the financial support offered to poor residents.

Liao may have been poorly informed about how to navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth to get the assistance he needed. But given the complexity involved in cross-regional scenarios such as this, few would know any better.

While condemning such dishonest actions, the authorities should also try to ensure that the relief services for society's underdogs are easily accessible.

(China Daily 07/17/2012 page8)