OPINION> Commentary
Medical reform gathers steam
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-05 07:56

The working team on the medical system reform will face a lift-up in personnel reshuffling, a step to strengthen authority and increase efficiency to solve the problem early, says an article on the website of Xinhua News Agency. The following is an excerpt:

The current ministerial-level working team on deepening the public medical system reform will be upgraded into a more powerful one, with a vice-premier as team leader and four ministers, core in the medicare system, as deputy team leaders, according to a report in 21st Century Business Herald.

Established in 2006, the existing working team, made up by members from 16 ministries and departments, has its inbred deficiency - lack of a strong leadership.

Without an authoritative voice among the members, the team finds it hard to make a decision and is plagued by low efficiency and disputes about vested interests.

The personnel reshuffling plan sends some important messages to the public. The central government has detected the chronic problems troubling the working team and is determined to tackle them. The upgraded working team will show more power and higher efficiency, to push forward the reform. Therefore, the long-awaited final plan for reform is expected to be released to the public soon.

The reform sets a goal of a universal public medical system by 2020, with an efficient, safe, convenient and affordable medical service to all Chinese. And the draft plan was issued on Oct 14 and is soliciting opinions from the public.

The five priorities are speeding up the establishment of a universal healthcare system, a basic medicine pricing system, improving the grassroots health service network, equal public health service for rural and urban residents, and reform trials in State-run hospitals.

Efforts will also be made to strengthen disease prevention and rural healthcare system, and equal development of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

(China Daily 11/05/2008 page8)