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The rural cooperative medical system in China Background, development, achievement and problems

The rural cooperative medical system in China Background, development, achievement and problems Purpose – In recent years, the focus of the Chinese Government has deviated from economic growth to overall societal balance and harmony. One of the major policy adjustments is to strengthen the supply of public goods in rural areas and set up the rural cooperative medical system (RCMS) financed by both governments and farmers. The purpose of this paper is to outline the background, recent developments, achievements and problems of the RCMS and help people to understand the RCMS in China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts a time approach, meaning the paper is organized by initiate background, system framework design, experiment and extension, achievement, problems and discussion about the RCMS development process. Findings – The Central Government intended to establish a new medical system in rural areas, so that farmers could protect themselves if they got sick. The paper finds that, with the help of the government, farmers have gradually accepted the medical cooperation system. The RCMS has rapidly been extended, and forms a basic medical security net for rural residents. The RCMS has achieved the initial goals of the policy reform: mitigating farmers' financial burden, increasing the number of visits to doctors, and reducing the cost of the RCMS. However, there are still some pending issues such as fund‐raising, monitoring‐efficiency, and medical targets that need to be solved. Originality/value – This paper is a general review, which provides a brief and general image of the Chinese RCMS and helps people to understand the RCMS in China. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png China Agricultural Economic Review Emerald Publishing

The rural cooperative medical system in China Background, development, achievement and problems

Jiang Zhongyi; He Xiurong
China Agricultural Economic Review , Volume 1 (1): 9 – Sep 26, 2008
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1756-137X
DOI
10.1108/17561370910915375
Publisher site
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Abstract

Purpose – In recent years, the focus of the Chinese Government has deviated from economic growth to overall societal balance and harmony. One of the major policy adjustments is to strengthen the supply of public goods in rural areas and set up the rural cooperative medical system (RCMS) financed by both governments and farmers. The purpose of this paper is to outline the background, recent developments, achievements and problems of the RCMS and help people to understand the RCMS in China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts a time approach, meaning the paper is organized by initiate background, system framework design, experiment and extension, achievement, problems and discussion about the RCMS development process. Findings – The Central Government intended to establish a new medical system in rural areas, so that farmers could protect themselves if they got sick. The paper finds that, with the help of the government, farmers have gradually accepted the medical cooperation system. The RCMS has rapidly been extended, and forms a basic medical security net for rural residents. The RCMS has achieved the initial goals of the policy reform: mitigating farmers' financial burden, increasing the number of visits to doctors, and reducing the cost of the RCMS. However, there are still some pending issues such as fund‐raising, monitoring‐efficiency, and medical targets that need to be solved. Originality/value – This paper is a general review, which provides a brief and general image of the Chinese RCMS and helps people to understand the RCMS in China.

Journal

China Agricultural Economic Review – Emerald Publishing

Published: Sep 26, 2008

Keywords: China; Rural areas; Medical care; Co‐operative organizations; Medical insurance; Fundraising

References

  • Information Handbook of the RCMS, Issues 2004, 2005, 2006
    MOH
  • The Economics of Health and Health Care
    Sherrman, F.; Allen, C.G.; Miron, S.
  • Evaluation Report on Providers of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Service
    Wu, M.