China to Revamp Health Care

Shannon Bourret
April 8, 2009
3:55 PM

China has said that they plan to expand medical insurance and build thousands of hospitals and clinics over three years. There is a popular dissatisfaction with the Chinese health care system, and this is China’s answer to those complaints. One part of the plan is a construction surge that will give every village a medical clinic and every county at least one hospital by 2011. The plan also calls for state subsidies for insurance premiums to extend at least basic coverage to 90% or more of China's 1.3 billion people within 3 years. Not all Chinese people have health care coverage. The Chinese government has favored spending in urban areas. A 2005 survey found that 25% of public health money was devoted to rural areas, home to about 60% of the population. This new plan is designed to narrow that gap. According to the government, all citizens should have access to basic health services by 2020.

I think this story is very exciting! If there is such dissatisfaction with the health care system among the Chinese citizens, it is obvious that something needs to be done to improve the system. It is good to see that the government and the World Health Organization are taking the necessary steps to fix this problem. I think that their plan sounds very reasonable and that it is very necessary. It is a great idea to have every county have at least one hospital and every village will have a medical clinic. This is very important in case there is some kind of emergency that require immediate medical attention. I also like the idea that all citizens will have access to basic health services by 2020. I believe that is very important as well.

link