Medical reform is a hotly discussed topic in China. On August 22, results of a poll of 733 respondents aged over 30 was published by China Youth Daily. The e-poll, organized by China Youth Daily and sponsored by China Central Television (CCTV), was conducted from August 9 to 11 via CCTV's polls and surveys Internet service, ePanel. Poll results show that 90 percent of respondents are unsatisfied with attempts at reform over the last 10 years.

"It's getting more and more difficult to see a doctor although there are more and more hospitals in China," was a common complaint. About 78.9 percent of respondents feel there are more hospitals now compared with 10 years ago.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health revealed that in 1980, the number of health organizations in China was 180,000. In 2000, the number reached 320,000. Despite this 60.1 percent of respondents think it is more difficult to see a doctor these days than it was ten years ago.

One of the reasons raised was registration. According to another survey conducted by China Youth Daily in June, waiting time just to register was a major bugbear. About 32 percent of those surveyed said they had to start queuing at seven or eight in the morning to guarantee an appointment; 23.2 percent said they usually get in the queue at five or six in the morning; and 5.5 percent said they've even had to get in line a day in advance to register. 

Cost is another prohibitive factor. According to the more recent poll, 89.8 percent think the medical expenses to income ratio has increased a great deal over the last 10 years. 

Many are so put off by the high cost of medical treatment that they sometimes resort to self-healing.

According to the third national health service investigation organized by the Ministry of Health in 2003, 48.9 percent of people who ought to have sought medical attention did not. A further 29.6 percent who should have been hospitalized were not.

In the common man's opinion, the rising cost of medical treatment is attributable to a shift in focus and priority as far as hospitals are concerned. According to the poll, 81.2 percent of respondents think that hospitals today are concerned only with making profits, and not with working in the interest of the public. 

According to the Decision on Medical Reform and Development issued by the State Council in 1997, China's health industry should be an undertaking of public welfare.

Yu Zonghe, former head of the Medical Policy Department with the Ministry of Health said that medical reform never means to be commercial but it has to be adapted to the market economy.

However, Gao Qiang, minister of health, pointed out in his July 1 report on the health situation in China that the reduction of government investment in the last few years, the ineffective supervision of health departments and poor management in some medical organizations, are to blame for the rapid rise in the cost of medical treatment.

The welfare aspect seems to have taken a back seat.

According to the analysis of Tang Jun, a researcher from the Social Policy Research Center of China's Academy of Social Sciences, another development worth noting is the changing face of the medical worker. More specific, the doctor.

It would seem that hospitals are doing what they can to raise the incomes of doctors with the end result that it is only small group people that eats into a large chunk of resources.

Doctors used to be held in high esteem for helping the ill and saving the dying. But these days, many feel doctors, like hospitals, are only in it for the money. The poll indicates that the status of doctors has dropped dramatically in the eyes of 75.7 percent of respondents.

(China.org.cn by Wang Qian, August 24, 2005)