For the first time in many years, China’s health minister has announced an ambitious program to provide basic healthcare for every Chinese citizen. Currently, according to the BBC News, Chinese citizens must pay for healthcare out of pocket in advance of receiving healthcare. Chen Zhu announced the Healthy China 2020 program that would provide a universal national health service that would provide basic healthcare service for all Chinese.
Since the Chinese economy was opened up thirty years ago, China has gradually lost its old communist style complete healthcare system. Now, a woman must pay in advance for the delivery of her baby and even emergency surgeries must be paid for in advance. Hospitals and pharmaceutical companies have become for-profit agencies and costs have been driven up. There has been a chronic lack of access and rampant corruption among healthcare providers in China.
The goals of the new system will be to reform the healthcare system and provide a national service for all citizens, including those living in the rural areas. The system is comparable to the National Health Service in the UK. The goal of the program is many and includes increasing Chinese life expectancy past the current 73 years. It is expected to be a massive healthcare reform that will bridge the gap between the Party requirements and the people’s expectations.
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