Sichuan: thousands protest against hospital that left poor boy to die
Three people are to have been killed in the clashes. The protest erupted when a hospital did not treat a four-year-old boy who had accidentally swallowed pesticide, because his family did not have the required 70 euros to have him admitted.
Guangan (AsiaNews/Agencies) Police from the central province of Sichuan yesterday clashed with around 2,000 people protesting against a Guangan hospital. The protesters say the hospital allowed a boy to die because his family could not afford to pay for his admission. Three people are said to have been killed in the clashes but this has not been confirmed by official sources: the authorities were forced to open an inquiry into the incident.
Local sources said four-year-old Xiong Honghui was rushed to Guangan No2 People's Hospital on 8 November after he accidentally swallowed pesticide.
The boy's grandfather, Xiong Zerong, accused the hospital of refusing to pump his grandson's stomach because his relatives did not have enough money for treatment, around 70 euros. They promised to pay up later but to no avail: the boy died two hours after being admitted to hospital.
The family demanded compensation from the hospital, which agreed to pay them 500 yuan (around 50 euros). The relatives went to report the hospital to the municipal government but were beaten up by security guards. A group of school students from a local school intervened to help them and decided to follow the family to hospital to protest too.
Many other people joined the protest when the students explained what had happened. Violence erupted when the police arrived and tried to disperse the protesters by using teargas. Three people were allegedly killed in the clashes, including a police official, and 20 people were arrested.
Local authorities confirmed that the protest took place but did not give supply further details.
This is only the latest in a long series of incidents associated with China's public health system. Civil rights activists claim that in recent months, local governments across the country have sought to cover up many episodes of bad practice and consequent protests.
Health Minister, Gao Qiang, said the root of the problem was lack of state funding for health care. Government funding of the health sector dropped from 6% of total expenditure in the 1980s and 1990s to 4% in 2002, which translates into 120 billion yuan for 2006 [just over 9 euros per year per person].
The lack of funding has forced hospitals and medical institutes to come up with other ways to cover their expenses. The cost of medicines can be marked up as much as 10 times the wholesale price. The minister acknowledged that the problem affected mostly rural areas. Although rural areas are home to the majority of China's population of 1.3 billion, they are allocated only 20% of resources.
The most advanced technology and equipment and the best human resources go to large hospitals in big cities. Similarly, in 2005, medical insurance was extended to no more than 200 million urban residents.
Han Jun, director of the Rural Development Institute of the Research and Development Centre of the State Council, said the most serious problem was concentrated in rural areas. "Eighty-three per cent of peasants cannot get treatment in hospital simply because they cannot afford it," he said.
According to a study undertaken in 2003, which interviewed more than 1000 peasants in 118 villages spread across 25 provinces, villagers buy medicines for less serious illnesses themselves, but 20% have never taken any drugs at all. In the last three years, 82% of deceased peasants passed away at home: they had been unable to go to hospital.
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19/12/2005
