Op-Ed Contributors

A different take on healthcare

By Wang Yiqing (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-08 08:03

Earlier, in a debate with Hu Shuli, the former chief editor of Caijing magazine, Li clarified that he wanted the government to accord top priority to providing basic medical security in order to ensure social fairness "Admittedly, the government may be not able to provide all round medical service to all the people. In rural areas, some people become disabled and fall into poverty simply because they cannot afford to see a doctor even for a common disease. It is important to help such people avoid such traps."

Some people wonder whether the central government would be able to afford such a plan. But Li says it is a question of "want to do or not" rather than "would be able to do or not". The government budget is always limited. Whether a project can work depends on how important it is.

Last week, China became the second richest country in the world in terms of revenue collection, which climbed to 8 trillion yuan ($1.19 trillion). In 2008, China left the world awe-struck by hosting a dazzling Olympic Games. The ongoing Shanghai World Expo has once again turned the world's eyes on China.

It's important for the government to hold such image-boosting events from time to time. But guaranteeing medical security directly reflects the government's emphasis on individuals' development.

For a real people-oriented government the health of its people should be more important, he says, because only a healthy population can ensure China realizes its goal of social harmony.

It's the government's responsibility to guarantee people the right to health. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights describes the right to health as one of the basic human rights. The Chinese government signed it in 1997, and the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee ratified it in 2001, making the right to health a social right, too.

Marketization of the healthcare system has drawn much criticism. Li concedes that the existing healthcare market is monopolistic but refuses to blame marketization for the failure of healthcare reform.