China rural healthcare pilot planned
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
China is to pilot a rural healthcare programme across eight provinces, with a view to closing the gap between rural and urban health, and in access to healthcare. The five-year programme (the starting date has not been announced) will cost around US$60m and will specifically address the health of women, children and the elderly; there is also likely to be an emphasis on AIDS, TB, hepatitis and schistosomiasis (a snail-borne parasitic disease present in fresh water). US$50m will be loaned by the World Bank and nearly $10m from the UK government’s department for international development. The loan will be repaid by China’s ministry of finance (80%) and provincial finance departments (20%). The provinces to be piloted include: Shanxi, Qinghai, Heilongjiang, Gansu, Jiangsu, Henan and Chongqing, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.