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Chinese people: Live longer and are physically stronger (3) |
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09:59, September 11, 2009 |
Medical security
Yang Biying, who lives in a village in southwest China's Sichuan Province, unfortunately suffered from myeloma. Spending over 20,000 yuan to treat her made her family fall into financial difficulty. However, because she joined the New Rural Cooperative Medical Care Scheme, over 10,000 yuan of her medical expenses was reimbursed and the remainder was covered by the Medical Assistance Foundation for People in Straitened Circumstances. Yang said, "In the past, I couldn't even imagine that farmers' medical expenses would be reimbursed. The money reimbursed is equal to the income earned by my whole family for two years. The Government's guarantee has brought new hope to my life."
An elderly man famous for establishing the Cooperative Medical Care Scheme passed away on October 23 2008 in a common farmhouse in the village of Leyuan in Changyang Tujia Autonomous County in Hubei Province. His name was Qin Xiangguan. He was a typical representative of the "barefoot doctors" and was known as the "Father of China's Rural Cooperative Medical Care Scheme".
The Rural Cooperative Medical Care Scheme was created in the 1960's. It is a mutual medical insurance system set up by Chinese farmers. Due to factors such as the disintegration of the collective economy, the coverage rate of the Scheme fell to less than 10 percent in the 1980's, and gradually fell into decline after several fluctuations.
In 2003, China launched the pilot New Rural Cooperative Medical Care Scheme project, which represented a significant innovation in the reform and development of China's rural health system. It effectively alleviated farmers' financial burdens for medical care, allowing more people to avoid the difficult situation of "being poor due to illness" or "becoming poor again due to illness", and has won the sincere support and favor of most farmers.
At the end of 2008, the New Scheme covered 2,729 counties (cities, and districts) and achieved the goal of 100 percent coverage two years ahead of schedule. Over the next three years, it is expected that all farmers in China will be able to enjoy immediate reimbursement for medical care in their local provinces. In 2010, the per capita subsidy standard provided by financial departments of all levels to the New Scheme will reach 120 yuan per year.
So far, China has preliminarily established a multi-level medical security system that covers both urban and rural residents. At end of the first half of 2009, 330 people were covered by Medical Insurance for Urban Employees and Residents, and 830 million were people covered by the New Scheme. By the end of 2009, all cities in China will have implemented the medical insurance system for residents, and including the people covered by the New Scheme, there will be a total of over 1.2 billion people enjoying basic medical security.
By People's Daily Online
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