Minister: Drug costs erode patients' trust in docs
Source: Xinhua |
January 8, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
INFLATED drug prices and irregularities in the production and distribution of medicine have weakened patients' trust in doctors, Minister of Health Chen Zhu said yesterday.
The minister also said unreasonably high drug prices increased the risks of overdrafts in medical insurance funds, calling for stricter supervision of doctors' prescribing and cracking down on commercial bribery where doctors prescribe expensive drugs in order to receive kickbacks from manufacturers.
Chen stressed at the National Health Work Conference in Beijing that health institutions' compulsory use of essential medicines, which would allow patients to have a greater share of their drug expenses reimbursed.
The essential medicine system, instituted as part of 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.
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, he said.
Also at the conference, Chen said health concerns must be factored into social and economic policy-making and health risk assessments must be conducted prior to the launch of major industrial projects, as the country is increasingly affected by non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
According to the Medical and Health Services White Paper released in December, 260 million Chinese live with NCDs, and deaths resulting from NCDs making up 85 percent of the country's total deaths.
The minister also said unreasonably high drug prices increased the risks of overdrafts in medical insurance funds, calling for stricter supervision of doctors' prescribing and cracking down on commercial bribery where doctors prescribe expensive drugs in order to receive kickbacks from manufacturers.
Chen stressed at the National Health Work Conference in Beijing that health institutions' compulsory use of essential medicines, which would allow patients to have a greater share of their drug expenses reimbursed.
The essential medicine system, instituted as part of 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.
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, he said.
Also at the conference, Chen said health concerns must be factored into social and economic policy-making and health risk assessments must be conducted prior to the launch of major industrial projects, as the country is increasingly affected by non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
According to the Medical and Health Services White Paper released in December, 260 million Chinese live with NCDs, and deaths resulting from NCDs making up 85 percent of the country's total deaths.
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