Hospital fee adjustments will not raise medical bills

Patients will not face higher medical expenses after hospitals adjust their service charges this year in line with a major reform plan, a top health official said on Friday.

周五，一位高级卫生官员表示，今年推行的重大医疗改革计划中，医疗服务收费调整不会使病人面临更高的医疗服务支出。

"We will ensure that the adjustment of medical service prices will not impose a burden on people through measures such as increasing medical insurance payments for bills," said Sun Zhigang, vice-minister in charge of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

国家卫生和计划生育委员会副主任孙志刚说道：“我们将通过增加医疗保险支出等途径，确保医疗服务费调整不会增加民众负担。”

All county-level public hospitals, which cover more than 900 million people, will stop the practice of selling drugs at prices up to 15 percent higher than they pay to buy them from pharmaceutical companies, according to a guideline issued by the State Council this month.

根据国务院本月提出的指导，覆盖超过9亿人口的所有县级公立医院，向病人出售的药品价格，不得高于从医药公司购买价格的15%。

The income from drug sales is an important source of revenue for public hospitals.

药品销售收入是公立医院重要的收入来源。

After the reforms come into force, the hospitals’ only sources of income will be the service fees they receive for treating patients and government subsidies.

医革生效后，医院的收入来源将只有病人接受治疗的服务费和政府补贴。

Charges that are likely to rise include clinic and treatment fees, surgery fees and nursing fees, while bills for checkups involving the use of large equipment will be reduced, Sun said.

孙志刚介绍，有可能上涨的费用包括诊断治疗费用、手术费用和护理服务费，而使用大型医疗器械的费用将会降低。

Public hospitals in 311 counties stopped selling drugs at higher prices in 2012 as part of a pilot program, Sun added.

孙志刚补充道，作为试点项目的一部分，311个县的公立医院药品销售价格不得高于2012年的水平。

The reforms will be expanded to all county-level hospitals and public hospitals in 100 cities at prefecture level or above this year, according to the commission.

委员会消息，今年改革将扩大到所有县级医院和100多个城市的市级以上公立医院。

"The core target of the reform of public hospitals is to maintain and strengthen their nonprofit nature so they provide fair and accessible services to everyone," said Liu Yuanli, dean of the Public Health School at Peking Union Medical College.

北京协和医科大学公共卫生学院院长刘元丽说：“公立医院改革的核心目标是坚持并增强其非盈利性质，这样医院就能向每个人提供平等的、可接受的服务。

Rao Keqin, a professor at the Chinese Medical Association, said subsidies account for only 8 percent of the total revenues of public hospitals, and a lack of government support has prompted many hospitals to increase drug prices.

中华医学会教授饶克勤认为，政府补贴只占到公立医院收入的8%，政府投入的缺乏导致很多医院提高药品价格。

Liu said the slowdown in economic growth means it is imperative that governments at various levels honor their duty to invest in public hospitals so they run smoothly despite the loss of income from drug sales.

刘元丽认为，经济增长的放缓要求各级政府要尽职尽责地加大对公立医院的投入，这样医院才能在减少药品销售收入的情况下稳定运转。

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来源:China Daily 双语版爱语吧作者:孙梦光