Press Conference On the Construction of Shandong Province’s Medical Care and Health Service System

[9:32:28, September 24, 2009] Kong Fanke: Today, we hold a provincial government press conference and have invited Mr. Li Zhongjun, deputy director and spokesman of the Provincial Department of Health; Mr. Zhang Lixiang, director of the Office of the Provincial Department of Health; Mr. Qiu Fenglin, director of the Planning and Finance Section of the Provincial Department of Health; and Mr. Yu Guofang, director of the Emergency Office of the Provincial Department of Health, to give a briefing on the development of our province’s health cause and answer journalists’ questions.

[9:33:53, September 24, 2009] Kong Fanke: Next, I will have Mr. Li Zhongjun, deputy director and spokesman of the Provincial Department of Health, give us a briefing on the development of Shandong Province’s health cause.

[September 24, 2009 9:34:32] Li Zhongjun: The health cause is an important matter of people’s life, which is concerned with people’s health and the happiness of millions of households.

[9:35:02, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: During the 60 years since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening-up, our province’s health cause has been developing by leaps and bounds. The basic medical and health rules have been steadily improved, the medical care and health service system which covers both urban and rural areas has been basically established, and the capacity of medical care and health service has been significantly improved. The level of people’s health has been continuously raised, and our province’s average life expectancy has been raised from 35 years of age in the early period of the People’s Republic of China to 75.02 years of age (73 years of age nationally). Our province’s mortality of pregnant women and lying-in women has decreased from 1500 per 10 thousand in the early period of the People’s Republic of China to 20.85 per 10 thousand in 2008 (34.2 per 10 thousand nationally). The infant mortality has decreased from 200‰ in the early period of the People’s Republic of China to 8.87‰ in 2008 (14.9‰ nationally).

[9:36:18, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: First, the medical care and health service system has been continuously improved, and the service capacity has been significantly enhanced. After 60 years’ construction and development, our province’s backward and weak medical and health system has become developed and strong, and the total amount of health resources has been increased continuously. In 2008, our province had 14,973 health institutions, 438,000 health professionals, and 319,900 beds in the health institutions, an increase of 78.5%, 133.7%, and 166.1% respectively over 1978.

[9:39:30, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: Second, serious diseases have been effectively controlled and urban and rural residents’ health has been ensured. Before the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, infectious diseases were widespread in our province, and the total disease mortality rate was as high as 25‰. After 60 years’ hard effort, our province’s disease prevention and control has made great achievements. The mortality rate has been reduced to 6.61 ‰. Our province was the first in the country to expand planned immunization, and now there are totally 13 kinds of vaccines covering 15 kinds of diseases.

[9:41:09, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: Third, the new-type rural cooperative medical system has been improved, and rural residents’ medical burden has been reduced. It took only 4 years for our province to establish the new rural cooperative medical system covering all of the 134 rural counties (cities, districts), which was one year ahead of the nation. The number of our province’s rural residents who joined the rural cooperative medical system has reached 64.373 million, a rate of 98.61% of the population, 101.8 yuan has been raised per capita, and 12.2 billion yuan medical expenses have been reimbursed for 273 million person-time accumulatively. The norms such as the proportion of our province’s population joining the rural cooperative medical system, the number of people joining the system, and the benefit rate all rank high nationally, and the level of security has been continuously raised.

[9:43:02, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: Fourth, the quality of medical care has been significantly raised, and the medical expenses are beginning to be controlled. The activities of hospital management year and medical quality management effect year have been carried out in a deep-going way at all levels and all kinds of the medical institutions for many years in order to strengthen hospital management, improve the control system of medical quality management, and strengthen the training of the academic pacesetter and the construction of professional team. The medical quality and technology level have been continuously raised, and the statistical indicators for the medical quality of third-grade hospitals are better than the national standard.

[9:45:09, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: Fifth, the reform of the medical and health system has been implemented in order to satisfy people’s basic need for medical care and health service. The State and our province have successively formulated and issued Suggestions on Deepening the Reform of the Medical and Health System and The Program for the Implementation of Short-term Reform of the Medical and Health System in Key Units, which define the direction and major principles and policies for the reform and development of the health system and emphasize providing the basic medical and health system for all people as a public product so as to achieve the goal that every individual enjoys basic medical and health service.

[9:46:35, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: Now, the medical reform has been fully launched in our province. With in three years, our province will invest 41.8 billion yuan, with emphasis on the following five aspects: improving the basic medical security system, improving the basic national medicine system, perfecting the medical and health service system at the grass-roots level, promoting the gradual equalization of basic public health service, and making reform experiments at public hospitals.

[9:46:52, September 24, 2009] Li Zhongjun: Sixth, As a result of the “two good and one satisfaction” activities, the construction of work style in the health profession has been continuously strengthened.

[9:48:34, September 24, 2009] Lee Zhongjun: We will conscientiously sum up the achievements and experiences we gained during the 60 years, and make clear the new tasks and requirements  facing the health work. With the in-depth reform of medical and health system as an opportunity, with the building of our province into a medically strong province as the goal, and on the basis of the “two good and one satisfaction” activities, we will further push forward with health reform and development and make new and greater contributions to improving people’s health and constructing a culturally and economically strong province.

[10:12:13, September 24, 2009] Kong Fanke: Today`s press conference is over. Thank you.