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Medical care and housing worry residents most

By Qin Zhongwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-25 07:50

Medical care and housing were the top concerns of Beijing residents in 2009, said a new report released yesterday.

Among the 12 areas the Beijing-based Capital View Research Co Ltd survey covered, including employment, housing, education, traffic and environment, access to healthcare remained the number one concern.

Lack of sufficient medical resources is a persistent problem that still needs attention, the study said.

For example, registration tickets required to see an experienced physician should be sold by hospitals for 14 yuan ($2). In some cases, the tickets are scalped and resold for as much as 3,000 yuan.

Results are based on a sample of more than 700 respondents surveyed each quarter throughout the year.

Housing fears showed a dramatic increase this year, according to the survey.

During the second quarter, housing anxieties placed fourth among the categories. It has since climbed back up to first place during the fourth quarter.

Respondent's biggest concerns centered on prices, which are expected to continue to rise in 2010.

The average price of pre-construction homes inside Beijing's Fourth Ring Road are now at a staggering 20,515 yuan per sq m, according to figures released by the Beijing bureau of statistics on Friday.

"I don't want to live in a house that I rent forever," Zhen Yan, an employee of a trading company, told METRO yesterday. Chen said housing is what she worries about most.

"But I cannot afford to buy my own house if the situation continues like this," she said.