High drug prices sour doctor-patient relations
Updated: 2013-01-08 10:41
(Xinhua)
|
|||||||||||
BEIJING - Inflated drug prices and irregularities in the production and distribution of medicine have weakened patients' trust in doctors, Minister of Health Chen Zhu said Monday at the National Health Work Conference.
Chen also said unreasonably high drug prices increase risks of overdrafts in medical insurance funds, calling for tightening supervision over doctors' prescribing behaviors and cracking down on commercial bribery.
In China, doctors have been known to prescribe expensive drugs in order to receive kickbacks from manufacturers. This increases patients' financial burdens and sometimes leads to confrontations between hospital staff and patients.
Also at the conference, Chen stressed health institutions' compulsory use of essential medicines, which will allow patients to have a greater share of their drug expenses reimbursed.
The essential medicine system, instituted as part of the ongoing health reform, requires doctors to only prescribe drugs on the essential medicine list and to sell those drugs at wholesale prices.
The costs of all essential medicines can be reimbursed, and their reimbursement rate is higher than that of other drugs.
Chen said all grassroots clinics must prescribe only essential drugs. Sales of essential medicines should account for 40 to 50 percent of total drug sales in mid-level hospitals and 35 to 30 percent of that in top-level hospitals.
Related Readings
Li urges investment, innovations for medical reformMedical security gap to exceed 75b yuan in 2014
Health insurance policy seen as essential to medical alliance
China announces 21% price cut on 162 medicines
Cost of medicine falls as health reform starts
Related Stories
Li urges investment, innovations for medical reform 2013-01-07 09:37
Medical security gap to exceed 75b yuan in 2014 2012-11-29 14:42
Health insurance policy seen as essential to medical alliance 2012-11-08 09:31
China announces 21% price cut on 162 medicines 2011-03-07 14:44
China's medical care expenses to increase 2012-07-25 19:32
Cost of medicine falls as health reform starts 2012-07-03 07:27
Today's Top News
President Xi confident in recovery from quake
H7N9 update: 104 cases, 21 deaths
Telecom workers restore links
Coal mine blast kills 18 in Jilin
Intl scholarship puts China on the map
More bird flu patients discharged
Gold loses sheen, but still a safe bet
US 'turns blind eye to human rights'
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|
![]()
|