China's Medical Consumption To Increase 11 Percent Annually Over Next Five Years
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
At a recent health economics forum, the Ministry of Health's China Health Economics Institute disclosed that the country's medical consumption is expected to increase 11 percent annually over the next five years. According to statistics from the MOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, the disease burden of mainland China residents was RMB 2.4 billion ($351 million) in 2005, accounting for 12.9 percent of the year's total expenditures. This was 5.4 times greater than the 1993 figure; in contrast, China's GDP only grew 3.2 times over the same period. Malignant tumors, cerebrovascular and cardiac diseases represent the three-biggest health threats to the population. In 2003, nearly 7.2 million people were hospitalized for these chronic illnesses, with a per capita hospitalization expense of RMB 5,972.95. For comparison, the per capita income of an urban family and a rural family were RMB 4,472.20 and RMB 2,622.20, respectively, in 2003. (Click here for more - Chinese Language)