60,000 orphans granted free insurance
Print Edition
MORE than 60,000 orphans were granted free health insurance yesterday to mark Children’s Day, becoming the latest beneficiaries of a Ministry of Civil Affairs and China Children Insurance Foundation program launched in 2009.
“The insurance contract will take effect today. It’s the best gift our organization can offer to the children. And we hope more people can join us to help them,” said Heidi Hu, the foundation’s managing director.
The insurance, which is paid for by donations and lasts for at least 12 months, has benefited more than 440,000 orphans since the program began, she said.
The foundation has already issued more than 1.2 million insurance contracts for orphans from 24 provincial regions. Each child is insured for 100,000 yuan (US$15,180) at a premium of 50 yuan (US$7.59) per year to cover the cost of treating 12 critical illnesses, including malignant tumors and conditions requiring organ or stem cell transplants.
Mei, a 17-year-old diabetic from the eastern province of Shandong, survived serious complications from the disease in March. She received insurance last year, when she was 16, the upper age limit to receive orphan benefits in China.
“Mei’s mother died after giving birth to her, and her father died in a car accident several years later. She is taken care of by her elder sister and relatives. But when it comes to such a serious disease, the family can’t afford the treatment and we’re glad to help,” Hu said.
Officially, China has more than 570,000 orphans. However, the real number could be much higher, as those in remote areas or who have gone to cities with relatives may not be counted.
“We still have a long way to go,” said Hu, adding that there was the hope of extra funding from a growing number of individual donors who give to the charity program via online payment platforms. Previously, donations were mainly from large enterprises.
Nearly 80 percent of donations last year came from online charity donation platforms, and the foundation has raised some 20 million yuan since 2009 through online fundraising, she said.
Information about the program can be found online at baoxian.cctf.org.cn.
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