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Legislators urge more health spending Legislators with the Beijing Municipal People's Congress Thursday urged the government to accelerate the construction of a public health system in the capital city's rural areas. "In Miyun County, one-third of rural hospitals are unable to pay their staff's salaries unless they borrow from banks or fail to pay other bills," said Shi Bingzhong, director member of the congress' Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports Committee. "The situation is even worse in the rural Mentougou District, where one-fifth of hospitals failed to pay staff salaries," he added. "Although the municipal government increased the investment in public health sector annually, grass-roots medical organizations, disease prevention and control agencies, as well as health supervision organs still lack enough financial input from the government," Shi said. The Beijing municipal government invested 1 billion yuan (US$120 million) in the public health sector and traditional Chinese medicine last year, excluding spending of 1.3 billion yuan (US$155 million) in the campaign against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). The total government investment in the public health sector this year reach 1.4 billion yuan (US$170 million), nearly 20 per cent more than last year, according to sources with the government. Meanwhile, Shi pointed out that rural health facilities and personnel, especially in mountainous areas, are far behind their urban counterparts. "Most district- and county-level disease prevention and control centres, as well as health supervision organs, do not have their own office buildings," he said. Some share one building with other departments and some rent houses for work, according to the director member. Medical facilities in townships and villages are even more underdeveloped, Shi said. "I once saw a rural hospital in Miyun County still using equipment bought in the 1950s," he recalled. Shi urged the Beijing municipal government to pay greater importance to rural hospitals and increase investment in them. While pointing out problems existing in the public health system, Shi Thursday confirmed achievements had also been made by the government in this sector. According to Vice-Mayor Niu Youcheng, the Beijing municipal government will invest 140 million yuan (US$17 million) to improve medical facilities in rural areas. A total of 184 grass-roots emergency treatment centres were set up in Beijing with an investment of 22.4 million yuan (US$2.7 million) since last year. The Beijing municipal government has vowed to establish a public health system by 2007 which will meet the needs of both urban and rural residents. During the second session of the 12th Beijing Municipal People's Congress in February, the delegation of Yanqing County and 278 deputies put forward 17 motions urging the government to strengthen the public health system. |
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