[NPC & CPPCC2018] Liu Yucun: the three major problems of healthcare
Mar 20, 2018
Peking University, March 11, 2018: On the morning of March 10, the third press conference of the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held at the Media Center Hotel. In response to a reporter’s question, Liu Yucun, member of the CPPCC National Committee and vice chairman of Peking University Council, stated that the reform of the medical and health system is currently facing three major problems.
The first issue is the contradiction between the limited financial investments and the increasing demands for diversification. Liu believed that in the economic aspect of healthcare, financial resources are never sufficient. For example, the amount of money spent on a person’s education from elementary school to university can be standardized and is therefore quantifiable. However, healthcare costs are a bottomless pit, where people inflicted with the same disease may need different sums of money to be cured. The money spent on treatment can vary from a diminutive amount to an immeasurable one, which makes people inclined to evaluate the costs from a moral high ground.
At the same time, there are discrepancies in social evaluation and individual perception. Liu Yucun noted that China’s prudent response during the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the recent Ebola epidemic clearly demonstrated our country’s monumental achievements in the reform of the healthcare system. Nevertheless, the ordinary citizens are more concerned about the various steps of the medical treatment procedure, such as making appointments or applying for hospitalization. Liu hoped that everyone will be able to have more trust and be less impatient, and then individual evaluations might receive a higher rating.
In addition, there is a dilemma between the interests of different social groups. Liu conveyed his hopes for this year’s reform of the remuneration system in the Government’s Work Report to proceed more quickly and thoroughly. Only through the improvement in the treatment and welfare of medical professionals can the nation’s brightest students be willing to pursue careers in medicine. “Let’s take a moment to think about it. If the future of the Chinese’s health and life is not entrusted to an elite group of students, who can we entrust it to?”
Written by: Kemerly Wang
Edited by: Zhou Yijing
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
