2016年CRI Qingdao Plans to Alleviate Locals from Medicare Burdens

 

As of 2015, life expectancy¹ in China now stands at 76.34.

The State Council plans to extend that to 77.3 by 2020 and 79 by 2030.

Under the so-called "Healthy China 2030" blueprint², Qingdao wants to invest in sectors³ such as public health care and take the lead in setting up a classification system in medical care.

65-year old Qingdao native Mr. Tan was hospitalized for kidney disease for about a month. Tan's wife was charged with less than 400 yuan, amounting to less than 60 American dollars.

"The total Medicare cost was 12,800 yuan. However, I only needed to pay a hospital bill of less than 400 yuan. It's quite cheap."

Mr Yu, who received medical treatment in hospital for diabetes⁴, also thinks the medical bill is reasonable when he saw a hospital bill from another diabetes patient who was leaving the hospital.

"Regularly, he would have to pay 12,400 yuan, but he only needed to pay 1120 yuan, accounting⁵ for eight percent of the total."

These new changes took place after the local government allocated⁶ more funds to health care subsidies⁷.

Also, since July 1st this year, public hospitals in Qingdao sold drugs at the same price as it was bought from manufacturers. Overall, the drug prices saw a decline of 15% or more.

In addition to those who stay in hospital for treatment, the patients who go to see a doctor in clinics also felt happy with the drop in drug prices.

Mr Chen is one of them.

"Today, I buy five to six types of medicine, which costs a total of 84 yuan. Last time, when I bought the same medicines here, I remember it cost almost twice that price."

When people feel ill, should they go to a large hospital or a community-based clinic?

This is a common problem that an ordinary citizen may face in their daily life.

And the best solution is to consult a doctor at a community clinic first.

The city of Qingdao has recently introduced a grading system in health care and diagnosis⁸, allowing family physicians to offer preliminary diagnoses and treatment of illnesses.

75-year old Duan Xiu-ting lives in Shazikou Street in Laoshan District. She has long suffered from hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease. Meanwhile, her husband is also a hypertension patient.

The couple has signed a deal with the community authorities for the family medicine and family physicians' service. Their family doctor is Hu Liang.

"Sometimes, I even called Hu Liang at night as I felt terribly ill. Now I have memorized his number."

The basic service a family physician could offer in Laoshan district includes a fundamental treatment of illnesses and providing counseling on lifestyle changes that can prevent illnesses.

Lan Xuepeng is the vice⁹ director of a Shazikou-street clinic. He disclosed by the end of this year, 30 percent of the local residents in his community would sign a contract related to the family medical service.

"My community-based clinic has signed a contract with two city-level hospitals and under it, they should dispatch their doctors to join us in setting up a family physicians' team that would exam resident's health condition, give traditional Chinese medical massage¹⁰ or cupping therapy for treatment free of charge."

Although local residents are offered an opportunity to have a visiting family physician, they could still choose to see doctors in a hospital in their neighborhood.

The team of family physicians is composed of both the doctors in relatively¹¹ large hospitals and medical staffs in community-based clinics.

Li Chanrong is an official with Qingdao Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission.

"The service of visiting family physicians changes the model that a doctor could treat their patients only in clinics or hospitals and enables doctors to better develop a relationship with their patients by making home visits. Meanwhile, the family physicians' income would increase according to the number of home visits they make. Also, local households may get access to a professional, general medical practitioner¹²."

The physicians who specialize in the family medicine would enable patients to have a more precise diagnose at the very beginning and offer them advices on whether they should go to a hospital or not.

Zou Xiao is the deputy director of Qingdao Center Hospital.

"These family physicians are well aware of the patients in a community they work in. Meanwhile, they are also very clear-minded about the medical resources in the hospital including the professional level of our doctors. If they couldn't cure patients, they may facilitate patients to have access to a doctor or a hospital where they may receive the most professional treatment."

Qingdao has ambitions for both the near future and many years ahead.

By 2017, a classification system in the health care and diagnosis service would primarily take shape in Qingdao. And the proportion of residents who opt¹³ for community-based clinics within two weeks after they fall ill should occupy over 70 percent.

Qingdao is expected to boast a well-functioned health care classification system by 2020.

For CRI, I'm Yang Yong.

1 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

2 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

3 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

5 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

6 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

7 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

11 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

12 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

13 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？