China's health expenses in 2000 increased by seven times compared
with 1990, accounting for 5.7 per cent of its gross domestic product that year.
"But the percentage, much lower than an average 8.5 per cent spent in
developed countries, made it difficult to meet the growing demand for health
care," said Han Qide, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress.
"More money is needed for health projects," said Han, who came to Shanghai to
attend an international symposium on fostering city images and spirit.
He stressed that public health is closely related to economic development.
His words were echoed by Sergio Spinaci, an expert from the World Health
Organization (WHO), who said although China's economic reforms have yielded
impressive results in development in the past several years. The forces
unleashed by those reforms have brought unintended negative impacts and a
growing gap between the rich and the poor.
"As a result, health standards, particularly among the poor have been
affected and low public spending on health is considered to be a major reason
for the lowered health status of the poor," Spinaci said.
Statistics in the first three months of this year showed that China had
937,237 epidemic patients, a number that is expected to grow, according to Han.
The country has 840,000 people carrying HIV, the virus that causes AIDS in 31
provinces and municipalities. Of them, 80,000 have been diagnosed AIDS patients.
"We don't know where the remaining 800,000 virus carriers are. It is very
dangerous, for we can't control the source," the vice chairman said.
At present, the country has 120 million Hepatitis B virus carriers including
20 million patients, some of whom will develop liver cancer.
Contagious diseases that are spreading in China include snail fever, venereal
disease and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB).
Current active TB patients in China have reached 4.5 million. The country is
expected to have 1.3 million new TB patients yearly with 10 per cent dying of
the disease.
"About 80 per cent of the TB patients are in the rural areas and lack money
for treatment," he said.
Drug addicts nationwide have risen to 1 million, with most aged 15 to 35.
"Most contagious diseases are caused by the worsening environment," he said.
Spinaci suggested China should increase spending on the health of the poor.
"If the country spends more money on the health projects in the next 40
years, it will develop faster and its people will benefit a lot," he
said.
