Wu Yuanbi, a 53-year-old farmer in Chongqing municipality, recently cut her abdomen with a kitchen knife to "cure" herself of ascites. Local officials learnt about what Wu had done a week later and sent her to a hospital. The incident shows that people who need medical and institutional help the most do not get them, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Some people may have got medical and other help in time because media reports on them proved to be a blessing in disguise. But heart-breaking cases like Wu's seem to be the order of the day. The disadvantaged group simply does not get the institutional help it needs.

A few poor people have managed to draw society's attention in their desperate and helpless moments only because of media reports or timely but occasional action taken by some government departments.

But officials or the media cannot react to the most normal and obvious medical or other emergency needs of the poor and needy. In fact, the poor have to depend only on luck.

Our social emergency and relief mechanism should be made more easily accessible to the needy. For instance, officials should get in touch with civil relief institutions and social welfare institutions regularly to find out what kind of help the poor need, instead of waiting for luck to favor the poor victims.

(China Daily 05/26/2011 page9)