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Free health care vital

(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-02-28 19:09

The government should provide more free public health services, says a commentary in Beijing News. An excerpt follows:

The Ministry of Finance is studying a policy to implement free treatment for serious contagious diseases. This includes expanding the planned immunization program and increasing the number of diseases treated for free. Statistics show that the national expenditure on public health was 118.515 billion yuan ($15.39 billion) last year, 15.4 percent higher than in 2005.

The further expansion of free medical treatment for serious contagious diseases is a gift to the public in the new year.

Free treatment of serious contagious diseases is also a vital measure in developing our public health program.

At present only some immunizations are provided for free by the government. Parents have to shoulder the cost of many other immunization shots, which are as necessary as those in the government plan. The charges for various immunization injections have become a burden for many. Some even give up on paying for them, which may lead to individual tragedies. The government should expand the scope of free immunization to benefit more people.

Free treatment of serious contagious diseases in the past few years has been extremely helpful. It is a wise choice to expand the scope of free treatment to the extent that public finances can handle it.

The government should shoulder more responsibilities where public safety risks exist.