Medical care reform: making it easier to see a doctor

The medical resources in Guizhou and the larger inner regions of China could hardly match big cities like Beijing, which is home to more than fifty Class-A hospitals. In Guizhou, however, there are only six such hospitals and most of them are based in Guiyang, the provincial capital.

Song traveled by bus and train to Guiyang, but he left immediately after the check-up. "They told me to pay an initial fee of 8,000 yuan if I wanted hospitalization, which went far beyond my capacity." At that time, two of Song's children were attending secondary schools.

He then went to Kaili for an operation at the People's Hospital. The costs were still high, as he spent 4,500 yuan for 11 days. "After the operation, they advised me to stay in-house for another 15 days for further monitoring, but I checked out. I was squarely short of money."

The hospital required him to sign a letter, claiming that "everything is irrelevant to the hospital after discharge."

The good news came in the spring of 2007, when he was notified of a new rural cooperative medical scheme. Under the program, Song pays 10 yuan per year, and the government contributes another 10 yuan. If hospitalized, up to 80 percent of the expenditure can be reimbursed.