by Michael Woodhead
The increasingly severe pollution and smog in Wuhan is having "terrible consequences" for the health of local people, a cancer specialist has to the Wuhan political consultative conference.
Dr Liu Li of the Xiehe Hospital Cancer Centre told the Wuhan conference that cancer rates in the city had increased in the last 10 years and tumours were now being seen at a much younger age.
Dr Liu said the number of beds at the hospitals cancer centre has doubled to more than 1000 in the last decade, but they were still at 100% occupancy. He said the incidence and mortality of cancer in Wuhan were without precedent, and it was shocking to see infants presenting with tumours.
To see an infant needing chemotherapy can only make you cry" he told the conference.
Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer we see and the contributory factors are complex, but air pollutio is no doubt theimportant 'assasin'," he said.
According to the Hubei Daily, Dr Liu called on environmental protection department to take urgent action to address the smog problem. One example is the common practice of burning rubbish, he said, which causes large amounts of ash and hazardous particles to be released into the air.
"Air pollution is now a critical threat to population health in Wuhan, he said.
Monday, 6 January 2014
Jealous Beijing female doctor arrested for bomb scare to prevent boyfriend's Australian holiday
by Michael Woodhead
A female doctor who is Haidian district's director of disease prevention has been arrested for causing a bomb scare at Beijing airport in an attempt to stop her boyfriend from travelling to Australia with other women.
The doctor named as Yang Liu became jealous of her boyfriend of two years as he was a well known tour guide and she suspected he was having affairs with women in the tour groups he accompanied on trips away from Beijing.
According to a report in the China Times, in late September of 2013 Dr Yang became suspicious when her boyfriend told her he was leading a group to Australia which included several women. She drew up a plan to stop his trip, by phoning in a fake bomb scare message to Beijing airport. She played a recorded message announcing a bomb was on the Beijing to Shanghai plane that her boyfriend was due to be travelling on.
This led to a major security operation at the airport, where her boyfriend was due to take a flight to Australia via Shanghai.
After security forces at the airport were mobilised, the bomb scare was found to be a false alarm.
One month on, the Public Security Bureau had tracked down Dr Yang and arrested her. This week her case was heard at the Beijing Fangshan district court, where her trial on anti-terrorism charges will take place. Prosecutors allege her actions caused huge disruption at the airport and significant economic losses.
Dr Yang is said to have graduated in 2009 and had been known as a hard working and much respected clinician at the Haidian district health department.
A female doctor who is Haidian district's director of disease prevention has been arrested for causing a bomb scare at Beijing airport in an attempt to stop her boyfriend from travelling to Australia with other women.
The doctor named as Yang Liu became jealous of her boyfriend of two years as he was a well known tour guide and she suspected he was having affairs with women in the tour groups he accompanied on trips away from Beijing.
According to a report in the China Times, in late September of 2013 Dr Yang became suspicious when her boyfriend told her he was leading a group to Australia which included several women. She drew up a plan to stop his trip, by phoning in a fake bomb scare message to Beijing airport. She played a recorded message announcing a bomb was on the Beijing to Shanghai plane that her boyfriend was due to be travelling on.
This led to a major security operation at the airport, where her boyfriend was due to take a flight to Australia via Shanghai.
After security forces at the airport were mobilised, the bomb scare was found to be a false alarm.
One month on, the Public Security Bureau had tracked down Dr Yang and arrested her. This week her case was heard at the Beijing Fangshan district court, where her trial on anti-terrorism charges will take place. Prosecutors allege her actions caused huge disruption at the airport and significant economic losses.
Dr Yang is said to have graduated in 2009 and had been known as a hard working and much respected clinician at the Haidian district health department.
Shandong's "Doctor QQ" dispenses online remedies for the housebound
In Shandong's Jinan city, Dr Li Lihua is encouraging his housebound patients to consult him first on QQ before trying to go to hospital. In October 2013, Dr Li set up his own doctor-patient commnity on the social media site QQ and now has 60 patients on his 'list'.
He encourages them to consult with him online for minor ailments and he says the QQ service offers them attention and confidentiality. The doctor in charge of the Shanxi Lu health station says this way he can help people avoid going to hospital and if they need to go to the hospital he can refer them to the most appropriate department and doctor.
One example was a web friend who asked about toothache - Dr Li tells him which antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications to take, to avoid hot and spicy foods and to drink plenty of fluid.
According to the Qilu Evening News, Dr Li says this helps him to keep in contact with patients who otherwise would not get to see a doctor.
He encourages them to consult with him online for minor ailments and he says the QQ service offers them attention and confidentiality. The doctor in charge of the Shanxi Lu health station says this way he can help people avoid going to hospital and if they need to go to the hospital he can refer them to the most appropriate department and doctor.
One example was a web friend who asked about toothache - Dr Li tells him which antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications to take, to avoid hot and spicy foods and to drink plenty of fluid.
According to the Qilu Evening News, Dr Li says this helps him to keep in contact with patients who otherwise would not get to see a doctor.
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Suzhou hospitals get real time online data monitoring for insurance and medication claims
The Suzhou social insurance fund has implemented an online real time data handling system for 43 hospitals that allows medical insurance claims and medication dispensing to be verified to enhance quality assurance and prevent fraud. The new system replaced the old manual input of claims data last year, and allows the health fund to collate medical insurance claims data alongside medication use and patient and hospital details. The system allows the social insurance centre managers to identify abnormal prescribing patterns and to give feedback directly to the hospital and the clinicians. For instance, in the first three months of operation data analysis has revealed that some male patients have been given medications for female medical problems and others have been given drugs for a different indication to the one for which they were being treated. The new system marks such anomalies with a red flag and gives feedback to the prescriber and to the hospital.
Source: Suzhou Daily
Source: Suzhou Daily
Relatives and netizens sceptical of hepatitis B vaccine verdict
The father of one of the infants who died after receiving hepatitis B vaccine has rejected the findings of an official investigation that found no link between vaccine and the deaths.
According to Radio Free Asia, Yang Wenlong of Shanxi said the official account clearing the vaccine of any role in the babies' deaths was groundless.
"They are talking absolute rubbish, and no one in China will believe it unless they are idiots," Yang said.
"I for one don't believe their results."
Mr Yang said the official verdict had been criticized by Chinese netizens on social media sites such as QQ. Many citizens were sceptical of the government following a series of product safety and public health scandals in recent years."I think they are afraid of affecting people's uptake of the vaccine."
"But I think that what they've done here will have the opposite effect to the one they intended."
According to Radio Free Asia, Yang Wenlong of Shanxi said the official account clearing the vaccine of any role in the babies' deaths was groundless.
"They are talking absolute rubbish, and no one in China will believe it unless they are idiots," Yang said.
"I for one don't believe their results."
Mr Yang said the official verdict had been criticized by Chinese netizens on social media sites such as QQ. Many citizens were sceptical of the government following a series of product safety and public health scandals in recent years."I think they are afraid of affecting people's uptake of the vaccine."
"But I think that what they've done here will have the opposite effect to the one they intended."
Medical news from China's media
In Shanghai, an ENT specialist has rejected accusations from a former student of of stealing Australian cochlear implant technology, saying the allegations are driven by a grudge held by a colleague after he was refused preferential treatment. Professor Wang Zhengmin, a specialist at Fudan University
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital has been accused by Dr Wang Yucheng of copying foreign technology to register patents for an artificial cochlea and exaggerating his number of theses.
According to the Shanghai Daily, Professor Wang Zhengmin rejected the accusations, saying they were driven by hatred from a former colleague who was rejected after requests for financial help and preferential treatment were rejected .
Also in the Shanghai Daily,the top complaints from patients relating to hospitals include dirty toilets and the high costs of treatment, according to a survey of local hospitals. Other common complaints included poor food and hygiene problems left many hospitalized patients dissatisfied.
The survey of 6,500 patients by Shanghai Medical Ethos Association, also found that lack of access to a doctor and limited health resources were major reasons for dissatisfaction. The numbers of doctors shared by 10,000 residents in Shanghai halved in the last 20 years due to an increase in population.
In the China Daily, medical insurance in Beijing has been extended to cover higher costs for severe and chronic diseases for the unemployed.
Meanwhile in Shanghai, an 86-year old man has been diagnosed with avian influenza A(H7N9), the 145th human case reported from the mainland.
According to the Shanghai Daily, Professor Wang Zhengmin rejected the accusations, saying they were driven by hatred from a former colleague who was rejected after requests for financial help and preferential treatment were rejected .
Also in the Shanghai Daily,the top complaints from patients relating to hospitals include dirty toilets and the high costs of treatment, according to a survey of local hospitals. Other common complaints included poor food and hygiene problems left many hospitalized patients dissatisfied.
The survey of 6,500 patients by Shanghai Medical Ethos Association, also found that lack of access to a doctor and limited health resources were major reasons for dissatisfaction. The numbers of doctors shared by 10,000 residents in Shanghai halved in the last 20 years due to an increase in population.
In the China Daily, medical insurance in Beijing has been extended to cover higher costs for severe and chronic diseases for the unemployed.
Meanwhile in Shanghai, an 86-year old man has been diagnosed with avian influenza A(H7N9), the 145th human case reported from the mainland.
Saturday, 4 January 2014
No news today - I'm sick! Will leave you with this ... Govt vaccine investigation outcome 'trustworthy' - Global Times http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/835673.shtml
Friday, 3 January 2014
Beijing hospitals switch to new yellow receipts: more info, less counterfeiting
by Michael Woodhead
Beijing hospitals have switched to a new receipt system that provides more individualised information on billing and also offers more protection against counterfeiting.
According to a report in the Beijing Daily, the hospital have abandoned the old blue receipts that has a tear off slip, and now offer new yellow receipts that have more space for individualised billing information. The new receipts give separate and more detailed information on medical registration fees, medication fees and medical test and treatment fees. The new receipts also have a 10-digit barcode to make them more difficult to counterfeit, and they also include personal ID card details to deter switching of receipts. The billing system has also been likened to the tax department database, so users can go online to check that the receipts are genuine.
Beijing hospitals have switched to a new receipt system that provides more individualised information on billing and also offers more protection against counterfeiting.
According to a report in the Beijing Daily, the hospital have abandoned the old blue receipts that has a tear off slip, and now offer new yellow receipts that have more space for individualised billing information. The new receipts give separate and more detailed information on medical registration fees, medication fees and medical test and treatment fees. The new receipts also have a 10-digit barcode to make them more difficult to counterfeit, and they also include personal ID card details to deter switching of receipts. The billing system has also been likened to the tax department database, so users can go online to check that the receipts are genuine.
China's medical experts warn about marketing of regular CT scan check-ups
by Michael Woodhead
Medical experts have warned Chinese consumers to reject the marketing hype for the latest craze of having six monthly health check-ups using PET-CT scanners.
Many medical clinics are "jumping on the bandwagon" and using advertising to promote the inappropriate and dangerous use of high end scanners, say radiotherapy specialists at leading hospitals.
Adverts urge consumers to have six monthly CT scans, claiming the advanced technology will detect fast-growing tumours that would escape detection by other health checks or from symptoms alone, accordingto a report in the People's Daily.
However, Dr Lin Hongwei, a cancer specialist at Beijing's Qinhua University Changgeng Hospital said the promotion of PET-CT scan was inappropriate and potentially harmful. He said PET-CT scans delivered a high dose of radiation and should only be used in monitoring existing tumours and for detetion of certain difficult tumours. There was no role for CT scanning in screening of the general population, and anyusch ue was in contravention of current guidelines, he warned.
"The use of expensive PET-CT scans for regular check ups is inappropriate, it is a waste of resources and also can do harm to the patient," he said.
Medical experts have warned Chinese consumers to reject the marketing hype for the latest craze of having six monthly health check-ups using PET-CT scanners.
Many medical clinics are "jumping on the bandwagon" and using advertising to promote the inappropriate and dangerous use of high end scanners, say radiotherapy specialists at leading hospitals.
Adverts urge consumers to have six monthly CT scans, claiming the advanced technology will detect fast-growing tumours that would escape detection by other health checks or from symptoms alone, accordingto a report in the People's Daily.
However, Dr Lin Hongwei, a cancer specialist at Beijing's Qinhua University Changgeng Hospital said the promotion of PET-CT scan was inappropriate and potentially harmful. He said PET-CT scans delivered a high dose of radiation and should only be used in monitoring existing tumours and for detetion of certain difficult tumours. There was no role for CT scanning in screening of the general population, and anyusch ue was in contravention of current guidelines, he warned.
"The use of expensive PET-CT scans for regular check ups is inappropriate, it is a waste of resources and also can do harm to the patient," he said.
Doctors have worse health than rest of population, CMA survey finds
A survey by the Chinese Medical Association has found that half of doctors have hypertension and a quarter have cardiovascular disease.
The findings of the survey of 4032 doctors also show that the overall rate of health problems among medical practitioners over 40 is twice that of the general population.
The results have been released to publicise a new 'Doctor's Health Fund' that will provide medical insurance coverage specifically for doctors. The CMA says the plan is needed because doctors are more prone to disease through exhaustion and stress as they work long hours in high pressure environment. The plan is aimed to provide care and recupration especially for doctors working at the basic level hospitals and in rural areas, the CMA says.
The findings of the survey of 4032 doctors also show that the overall rate of health problems among medical practitioners over 40 is twice that of the general population.
The results have been released to publicise a new 'Doctor's Health Fund' that will provide medical insurance coverage specifically for doctors. The CMA says the plan is needed because doctors are more prone to disease through exhaustion and stress as they work long hours in high pressure environment. The plan is aimed to provide care and recupration especially for doctors working at the basic level hospitals and in rural areas, the CMA says.
China's top 3 hepatitis B vaccine makers ordered to stop production because of GMP failings
by Michael Woodhead
China's three major manufacturers of hepatitis B vaccine have been ordered to suspend production because they have failed to meet new stringent GMP criteria that came into effect in 1 January.
The order from the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) applies to Shanzhen Biokangtai, whose hepatitis B vaccine has been linked to a string of deaths among newborns in recent weeks. It also applies to Dalian Hanxin and Tiantan Biologicals.
According to a report from Xinhua, the vaccine manufacturers knew in advance that they had to meet the new GMP criteria by 1 January but failed to do so. The report says the new GMP criteria apply to all aseptic manufacturing plants, of which there are 1319 in China. It says two thirds have already met the new GMP requirements and others are working towards them. However, the three hepatitis B vaccine manufatcurers have not met the criteria and have been told that any further products produced from 1 January will not be accepted for use in China.
The Xinhua report notes that the three manufacturers account for about 80% of hepatitis B vaccine producetion in China. other manufacturers such as Hualan and Huabei have achieved GMP licencing but produce only about 10% of the vaccine supplies.
The SFDA says new GMP criteria apply to all manufacturers, and they estimate that there are GMP-compliant manufacturers for all 171 essential medicines. Mannufacturers who have not yet met the criteria have stockplied supplies of essential medicines, Xinhua notes.
The SFDA empahises that the move is only a temporary suspension of manufacturing and it is not ordering the manufacturers to shut down the production facilities. Production may be resumed once the manufacturers show they are meeting GMP requirement, the SFDA says.
China's three major manufacturers of hepatitis B vaccine have been ordered to suspend production because they have failed to meet new stringent GMP criteria that came into effect in 1 January.
The order from the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) applies to Shanzhen Biokangtai, whose hepatitis B vaccine has been linked to a string of deaths among newborns in recent weeks. It also applies to Dalian Hanxin and Tiantan Biologicals.
According to a report from Xinhua, the vaccine manufacturers knew in advance that they had to meet the new GMP criteria by 1 January but failed to do so. The report says the new GMP criteria apply to all aseptic manufacturing plants, of which there are 1319 in China. It says two thirds have already met the new GMP requirements and others are working towards them. However, the three hepatitis B vaccine manufatcurers have not met the criteria and have been told that any further products produced from 1 January will not be accepted for use in China.
The Xinhua report notes that the three manufacturers account for about 80% of hepatitis B vaccine producetion in China. other manufacturers such as Hualan and Huabei have achieved GMP licencing but produce only about 10% of the vaccine supplies.
The SFDA says new GMP criteria apply to all manufacturers, and they estimate that there are GMP-compliant manufacturers for all 171 essential medicines. Mannufacturers who have not yet met the criteria have stockplied supplies of essential medicines, Xinhua notes.
The SFDA empahises that the move is only a temporary suspension of manufacturing and it is not ordering the manufacturers to shut down the production facilities. Production may be resumed once the manufacturers show they are meeting GMP requirement, the SFDA says.
Medical news in China's media
HIV is one of several conditions newly listed as occupational diseases for police and medical workers, meaning that those who develop the illness will be eligible for work-related injury
insurance reimbursement.
Other new conditions covered are leukasmus, blast exposure
hearing damage, and ocular burns (such as to the cornea, lens of the eye
or retina) caused by laser light and frostbite, according to Women of China.
The city of Lanzhou in Gansu has adopted tough new anti-smoking measures in public places. New legislation specifies "non-smoking" indoor areas, including medical institutions, schools, government office buildings, public dining places, and public transport carriers. Smokers, face fines from 50 to 200 yuan, according to the Peoples Daily.
Police in Henan broke up a fake medicine production ring that placed fake-drug ads on the radio and the internet and used bogus medical experts to talk with patients.According to CRI the fake drug operation had earned the fraudsters 300 million yuan
And in the China Daily, psychiatrists are reported to be looking at links between China's terrible smog problems and mental health. Clinicians say studies are needed on the negative impact of smoggy days on anxiety and depression due to lack of sunlight and production of the hormone melatonin.
The city of Lanzhou in Gansu has adopted tough new anti-smoking measures in public places. New legislation specifies "non-smoking" indoor areas, including medical institutions, schools, government office buildings, public dining places, and public transport carriers. Smokers, face fines from 50 to 200 yuan, according to the Peoples Daily.
Police in Henan broke up a fake medicine production ring that placed fake-drug ads on the radio and the internet and used bogus medical experts to talk with patients.According to CRI the fake drug operation had earned the fraudsters 300 million yuan
And in the China Daily, psychiatrists are reported to be looking at links between China's terrible smog problems and mental health. Clinicians say studies are needed on the negative impact of smoggy days on anxiety and depression due to lack of sunlight and production of the hormone melatonin.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Doctors warn of oestrogen in meat as Henan girl develops puberty at 4 years of age
Doctors in Henan says the precocious puberty reported in a 4-year-old girl may have been caused by her mother's use of oestrogen-like drugs while breatfeeding or by her intake of foods such as chicken that were high in added hormones.
The girl from Pingdangshan is reported to have developed breasts and started menstruating at the age of four. She is now undergoing treatment at the local hospital but her family say they cannot afford the 2000 RMB cost of monthly injections that she will need until the age of 12 to counter the condition, according to a report from Xinhua.
The girl comes from a poor farming family in the mountainous and deprived Ruzhou country. Her parents say the puberty effects first started to appear when she was two years old. Her family took her to the local hospital but it was only a very basic clinic and the doctor there did not have the expertise to examine or diagnose a hormonal condition in a small child. She was only diagnosed properly when they took her too the city of Zhengzhou. Even at that early age, doctors said her skeleton resembled one of an 8 or 9 year old. The Zhengzhou hospital clinicians worked out a long term treatment plan for the young girl who was already showing signs of breast development and menstruation. However, her family struggled to find the 30,000 RMB needed to pay for monitoring tests and hormonal treatment.
A doctor involved in the case siad the girl was showing body changes at 3-4 years of age that would normally only start at 8-9 years of age at the very earliest. He feared that f the girl did not get proper inhibitory treatment she would suffer physiological damage and show premature ageing.
As to the cause of the condition, he said it appeared to be due to external factors rather than an inherited or innate disease. he speculated that the premature puberty might have been caused by early exposure of the girl to high levels of sex hormones such as oestrogen. This might have occurred as she was breast fed and her mother had used medicines that contained the hormone. In addition, the precocious puberty may also have been made more likely due to hormones in the food she and her mother consumed.
"We advise families that food such as chicken, beef, soya milk and egg white can all contain high levels of oestrogen and should be eaten in only small amounts by daughters in particular."
Beijing police bust fake drug, fake hospital and fake doctor gang
Authorities in Beijing have busted a Hubei gang that created a fake hospital and posed as doctors to sell counterfeit medicines.
Police have arrested five people and seized 6 million RMB in takings from an operation that sold fake drugs online from a website that purported to represent a fictitious diabetes hospital operated by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
According to a report in the Peoples Daily, authorities were tipped off by a member of the public who spent 700 RMB on diabetes medications on the advice of 'doctors' from the Beijing Diabetes Hospital, which gave an address in the Miyun district of the city. The medications were advertised as being effective for diabetes and offered a money back guarantee if not effective. When the complainant found the medicines were useless he sought a refund but was refused, and he was unable to trace the 'hospital'.
When notified, the PSB assigned its food and drug investigation unit to the matter, and a painstaking two month investigation began, involving enquiries in locations across the country including Shenhzhen and Chengdu. The investigation eventually tracked the offenders down to the Shijingshan district of Beijing, and five suspects were apprehended.
The suspects are all from Hubei, from where it appears they obtained the raw materials. They then prepared the fake pills in Beijing and set up a bogus hospital website to sell them across China.
Since it was set up in 2011, the PSB food and drug investigation unit has smashed 1400 fake drug operations and recovered more than 600 million RMB in illegal earnings from counterfeit and fake drugs.
Anhui city offers 'no commission' medicines to locals
The city of Wuhu in Anhui says its two year experiment in offering cost-price medications through hospitals has been a great success in making medical treatment affordable and eliminating kickbacks that plagued the former commission system. The city says its residents have saved over 200 million renminbi under the new system that stops hospitals from charging markups on medicines. The scheme was started two years ago on a limited range of medications and is now to be extended to high costs areas such as cardiac and arthritis medicines and sedatives.
According to the Wuhu News, the 'zero commission' scheme has eliminated the 'grey market' that existed between pharmaceutical wholesalers and hospitals. Under the new system, suppliers must tender for contracts that are open and guarantee to supply medicines at a fixed price for a one year period. Savings are passed on to the public. The authorities say their scheme has switched from one in which hospitals earn money from drugs to one in which they relieve the burden of the public. One of the other benefits of the scheme is that is has uncoupled prescribing from financial incentives, and thus promoted more rational treatment, the local health department says.
According to the Wuhu News, the 'zero commission' scheme has eliminated the 'grey market' that existed between pharmaceutical wholesalers and hospitals. Under the new system, suppliers must tender for contracts that are open and guarantee to supply medicines at a fixed price for a one year period. Savings are passed on to the public. The authorities say their scheme has switched from one in which hospitals earn money from drugs to one in which they relieve the burden of the public. One of the other benefits of the scheme is that is has uncoupled prescribing from financial incentives, and thus promoted more rational treatment, the local health department says.
Urgent cure needed for China's ailing health system
In Prospect magazine, Beijing-based journalist Yuan Ren offers some thoughts on why China's medical system is in urgent need of reform. She points out that the healthcare system is having to deal with a huge increase in demand (because of increased but inadequate insurance cover) and higher expectations while at the same time grappling with lack of trust from patients. The health system is struggling with corruption, in part because incomes are linked to sales of drugs to patients. She says a "modern, efficient and sustainable model" is needed - but who is to say what that is?
Medical news from China's media
In the China Daily, womens' hospitals says they are being inundated with inquiries from women about having a second child following the amendment to the family planning policy in early November. One hospital, the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University's School of Medicine has opened a consultation clinic for women considering a second child.
Xinhua reports that two more babies have died after receiving hepatitis B vaccinations, this time in Shandong province. However, the report does not say which brand of vaccine the cases are related to, even though the Shenzhen Bio Kangtai vaccine has been withdrawn.
According to the provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention they have also received a report of a baby that died in October after a hepatitis B vaccination.
At least twelve infants are reported to have died in China after receiving vaccines against Hepatitis B.
The People's Daily has a report on gay college students being targeted for HIV prevention measures, as the number of cases in young gay men in China is increasing dramatically. The article says that in
Guangzhou there have been 117 cases of HIV in 48 colleges or universities, according to the Guangzhou Disease Prevention and Control Center. Ninety percent were infected via homosexual behavior, with high risk sexual activities being common. Students are being targeted for safe sex behaviour campaigns and also for HIV testing.
CRI reports that a tourist from mainland China has brought H7N9 influenza into Taiwan.
Disease control authorities said an 86-year old tourist from Jiangsu was confirmed with H7N9 avian influenza. The man showed first symptoms on December 19 and has been hospitalized since Dec 24.
This is Taiwan's second case of H7N9, the first imported case occurred in April this year.
Xinhua reports that two more babies have died after receiving hepatitis B vaccinations, this time in Shandong province. However, the report does not say which brand of vaccine the cases are related to, even though the Shenzhen Bio Kangtai vaccine has been withdrawn.
According to the provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention they have also received a report of a baby that died in October after a hepatitis B vaccination.
At least twelve infants are reported to have died in China after receiving vaccines against Hepatitis B.
The People's Daily has a report on gay college students being targeted for HIV prevention measures, as the number of cases in young gay men in China is increasing dramatically. The article says that in
Guangzhou there have been 117 cases of HIV in 48 colleges or universities, according to the Guangzhou Disease Prevention and Control Center. Ninety percent were infected via homosexual behavior, with high risk sexual activities being common. Students are being targeted for safe sex behaviour campaigns and also for HIV testing.
CRI reports that a tourist from mainland China has brought H7N9 influenza into Taiwan.
Disease control authorities said an 86-year old tourist from Jiangsu was confirmed with H7N9 avian influenza. The man showed first symptoms on December 19 and has been hospitalized since Dec 24.
This is Taiwan's second case of H7N9, the first imported case occurred in April this year.
Tiantan hepatitis B vaccine maker bosses resign
The makers of one of China's hepatitis B vaccines has seen several of its top executives resign in the wake of the recent spate of deaths of babies who received hepatitis vaccinations. However, the resignations are from the Tiantan Biological company, whose vaccine has been linked to few if any of the recent reports of deaths of newborns after receiving hepatitis B vaccine. The 12 deaths reported so far have mostly been linked to the rival Shenzehn Bio-Kangtai vaccine.
Caixin reports that several board members of Tiantan have offered their resignations, apparebtly becaus the recent investigations into manufacturing processes at vaccine makers have exposed sub-standard practices, especially in relation to meeting GMP requirements. The board members of Tiantan include the financial manager and auditors. The lack of GMP certification meant the company was unable to expand its production and thus has been unable to meet the shortfall created by the ban on use of BioKangtai vaccine, which accounted for about a quarter of the market.
Caixin reports that several board members of Tiantan have offered their resignations, apparebtly becaus the recent investigations into manufacturing processes at vaccine makers have exposed sub-standard practices, especially in relation to meeting GMP requirements. The board members of Tiantan include the financial manager and auditors. The lack of GMP certification meant the company was unable to expand its production and thus has been unable to meet the shortfall created by the ban on use of BioKangtai vaccine, which accounted for about a quarter of the market.
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Telescreening reveals high rate of eye disease in Chinese people with type 2 diabetes
A telescreening programme in Shenyanhg has shown there is a high prevalence of fundus pathology among patients with type 2
diabetes, and in most of the cases, this was newly
detected.
In a study involving 528 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus from Fengyutaun in Shenyang, researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang used telescreening to look for signs of any diabetic retinopathy, signs of glaucoma and signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The main ocular fundus pathologies were diabetic retinopathy, (14%), of which 87% cases were newly detected, AMD was detected in 11% of patients and glaucoma in 12%. The risk factors for fundus pathology were long duration of diabetes, higher fasting plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.
"Community screening for fundus pathology among patients with a long duration of type 2 diabetes and high fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels using a telescreening model will provide an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of fundus pathology," the study authors concluded.
Read the full study at: BMJ Open
In a study involving 528 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus from Fengyutaun in Shenyang, researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang used telescreening to look for signs of any diabetic retinopathy, signs of glaucoma and signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The main ocular fundus pathologies were diabetic retinopathy, (14%), of which 87% cases were newly detected, AMD was detected in 11% of patients and glaucoma in 12%. The risk factors for fundus pathology were long duration of diabetes, higher fasting plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.
"Community screening for fundus pathology among patients with a long duration of type 2 diabetes and high fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels using a telescreening model will provide an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of fundus pathology," the study authors concluded.
Read the full study at: BMJ Open
Most Chinese are open minded about euthanasia
by Wang Hongyi
A recent survey shows that more than two-thirds of Chinese have an open and tolerant attitude toward euthanasia, which has long been debated — and banned — in the country.
According to the survey, conducted by the public opinion research center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, about 70 percent of the more than 3,400 polled residents from 34 cities said they do not object to euthanasia or can accept the idea.
The survey, released last week, was conducted through a computer-assisted telephone interview.
"Euthanasia has been widely discussed around the world," said Zhong Yang, the research center's director. "In China, people's attitudes toward death have changed with the times, and more people hope to die painlessly."
The topic of death has long been taboo in China.
A recent survey shows that more than two-thirds of Chinese have an open and tolerant attitude toward euthanasia, which has long been debated — and banned — in the country.
According to the survey, conducted by the public opinion research center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, about 70 percent of the more than 3,400 polled residents from 34 cities said they do not object to euthanasia or can accept the idea.
The survey, released last week, was conducted through a computer-assisted telephone interview.
"Euthanasia has been widely discussed around the world," said Zhong Yang, the research center's director. "In China, people's attitudes toward death have changed with the times, and more people hope to die painlessly."
The topic of death has long been taboo in China.
29 Shanghai hospitals busted for allowing smoking
Twenty-nine local hospitals were blacklisted for
failing to control smoking on the premises after undercover checks by
authorities on some 400 medical facilities. But the hospitals said
without any legal protection they can’t stop people from smoking.
Those blacklisted include three well-known maternity hospitals, one leading pediatric hospital and some big hospitals. The list was put up on the official microblog of local health authority and the city government yesterday.
The authorities faulted the hospitals for lack of no-smoking signs, especially on the stairs, elevators, corridors and restrooms, and a lack of staff to deal with people smoking on the premises.
Patients’ families were found smoking outside surgery rooms and some hospitals had staff smoking inside their offices. Designated smoking areas were also an area of concern.
Some hospitals had indoor smoking areas while others allowed people to smoke outdoors but were too close to people.
Those blacklisted include three well-known maternity hospitals, one leading pediatric hospital and some big hospitals. The list was put up on the official microblog of local health authority and the city government yesterday.
The authorities faulted the hospitals for lack of no-smoking signs, especially on the stairs, elevators, corridors and restrooms, and a lack of staff to deal with people smoking on the premises.
Patients’ families were found smoking outside surgery rooms and some hospitals had staff smoking inside their offices. Designated smoking areas were also an area of concern.
Some hospitals had indoor smoking areas while others allowed people to smoke outdoors but were too close to people.
Beijing maternity hospitals add more beds in anticipation of two child families
The city of Beijing has announced that it will add more maternity beds to get ready for its new birth policy, the municipal health bureau reported on Dec 29.
That new policy allows couples to have two children, and is expected to lead to an increasing in the number of expectant mothers in the near future, so, the city is looking for ways to deal with a possible baby boom, in 2014.
The bureau explained that the city has 127 obstetrics hospitals or institutions with 4,466 beds in all, 13 top ones, with 135 beds, and 73 second-tier, with 2,853 beds. The top-level hospitals with better medical services are always crowded, while the rest are less so.
In addition to more maternity beds, there will be more emergency equipment in hospitals, and various types of training to improve emergency-room responses and keep risks at a minimum.
Source: Beijing Daily
That new policy allows couples to have two children, and is expected to lead to an increasing in the number of expectant mothers in the near future, so, the city is looking for ways to deal with a possible baby boom, in 2014.
The bureau explained that the city has 127 obstetrics hospitals or institutions with 4,466 beds in all, 13 top ones, with 135 beds, and 73 second-tier, with 2,853 beds. The top-level hospitals with better medical services are always crowded, while the rest are less so.
In addition to more maternity beds, there will be more emergency equipment in hospitals, and various types of training to improve emergency-room responses and keep risks at a minimum.
Source: Beijing Daily
China halts imports of Pfizer's Diflucan for HIV due to paperwork problems
China suspended imports of U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc's AIDS-related drug fluconazole (Diflucan) on Tuesday, citing a problem with late paperwork, the country's food and drug watchdog said in a statement on its website.
Pfizer, the largest drugmaker in the United States, contravened Chinese law when one of its France-based factories failed to submit a supplementary application on time, the China Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in the statement.
With the country's healthcare spending forecast to nearly triple to $1 trillion by 2020 from $357 billion in 2011, according to consulting firm McKinsey, China is a magnet for makers of medicines and medical equipment.
Pfizer has taken steps to resolve the issue and is working with China's FDA to ensure its products comply with Chinese law, it said in a statement on its Chinese-language website. The issue is not linked to quality or safety, it added.
Some analysts said the incident looked like a paperwork "glitch" and should be short-lived.
"It should not impact too much Pfizer's business in China and I am sure the imports will be resumed once the procedure is complete," said Simon Li, Shanghai-based general manager at Kantar Health China.
China has been cracking down this year on the healthcare sector, with investigations ranging from allegations of corporate bribery to how drugs are priced, as well as drives to increase quality and safety levels across the sector.
Diflucan, which treats fungal infections linked to AIDS, had worldwide sales of $259 million in 2012, according to Pfizer's latest annual financial statement, a small fraction of the firm's $59 billion revenue that year. Pfizer has more than 9,000 employees in China and operates in more than 250 Chinese cities.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Shenyang health chief sacked after lunchtime sex romp with top female doctor
Source: Beijing Daily
Elderly female doctor attacked and concussed by family at Beijing hospital
by Michael Woodhead
A 72-year-old female doctor at Yuanyamei Hospital in Changping district of Beijing is recovering from concussion after being struck on the head in an attack by family members of an infant girl who had been taken to hospital for treatment.
The incident, which occurred on 25 December, was said to have resulted from an argument between a Dr Li and family members after they were told to take their daughter to a clinic where they had already been turned away from after waiting several hours. They claimed the female doctor had insulted and abused the child, accusations that the doctor denies.
After the incident both parties were taken to the police station where mediation is underway.
According to hospital board president Mr Liu, the female doctor know as Li was a senior clinician and had worked at the hospital for more than a year. On the 24th December a 30 year old female brought a 20-month old daughter to the gynaecology department of the hospital for treatment. After waiting there she was told to take the child to the paediatrics department. When the infant was seen by Dr Li and she heard of the infant's condition she suggested the girl be taken to the gynecology department for treatment, and the treatment fee be refunded.
On the 25th the mother returned to the hospital to lodge a formal complaint to the hospital manager, alleging that Dr Li had assaulted and abused their daughter, and she demanded an apology. The manager suggested that the two parties meet to discuss the situation. At that time, Dr Li was in the middle of a clinic and requested that the mother wait outside for her to finish. The mother suddenly burst ito the consulting room and smacked Dr Li on the side of her head, causing concussion. During the attack she said "I will teach you a lesson."
Dr Li was left concussed and diorientated by the assault, and the mother took advantage of the confusion to flee. However, she was apprehended by security staff outside the hospital and brought back.
When Dr Li recovered, both parties were taken to the police station for questioning. A hospital insider said Dr Li had a reputation for being short tempered and sometimes impolite in her speech. However, Dr Li rejected the accusations that she had humiliated the child or argued with the mother and said she was baffled by the unexpected attack on her. She was suffering concussion and los of hearing and blurred eyesight on her left side where she had been struck. The mother and family of the child had offered 2000 RMB in compensation, but Dr Li and her family were now demanding 20,000 RMB in compensation for her injuries.
The original report by Zhang Guijia is published in the Legal Evening News.
A 72-year-old female doctor at Yuanyamei Hospital in Changping district of Beijing is recovering from concussion after being struck on the head in an attack by family members of an infant girl who had been taken to hospital for treatment.
The incident, which occurred on 25 December, was said to have resulted from an argument between a Dr Li and family members after they were told to take their daughter to a clinic where they had already been turned away from after waiting several hours. They claimed the female doctor had insulted and abused the child, accusations that the doctor denies.
After the incident both parties were taken to the police station where mediation is underway.
According to hospital board president Mr Liu, the female doctor know as Li was a senior clinician and had worked at the hospital for more than a year. On the 24th December a 30 year old female brought a 20-month old daughter to the gynaecology department of the hospital for treatment. After waiting there she was told to take the child to the paediatrics department. When the infant was seen by Dr Li and she heard of the infant's condition she suggested the girl be taken to the gynecology department for treatment, and the treatment fee be refunded.
On the 25th the mother returned to the hospital to lodge a formal complaint to the hospital manager, alleging that Dr Li had assaulted and abused their daughter, and she demanded an apology. The manager suggested that the two parties meet to discuss the situation. At that time, Dr Li was in the middle of a clinic and requested that the mother wait outside for her to finish. The mother suddenly burst ito the consulting room and smacked Dr Li on the side of her head, causing concussion. During the attack she said "I will teach you a lesson."
Dr Li was left concussed and diorientated by the assault, and the mother took advantage of the confusion to flee. However, she was apprehended by security staff outside the hospital and brought back.
When Dr Li recovered, both parties were taken to the police station for questioning. A hospital insider said Dr Li had a reputation for being short tempered and sometimes impolite in her speech. However, Dr Li rejected the accusations that she had humiliated the child or argued with the mother and said she was baffled by the unexpected attack on her. She was suffering concussion and los of hearing and blurred eyesight on her left side where she had been struck. The mother and family of the child had offered 2000 RMB in compensation, but Dr Li and her family were now demanding 20,000 RMB in compensation for her injuries.
The original report by Zhang Guijia is published in the Legal Evening News.
Beijing residents start to consult family doctors at community medical centres
Instead of enduring long waits at various hospitals, Dong goes to a community health service center to visit a doctor she signed up with a year ago.
"The doctor is patient and gives me detailed advice on a healthy lifestyle. She even calls me to see if I take the medicine correctly. You don't see this in big hospitals," said Dong.
Dong is benefiting from a family doctor plan rolled out in the city in 2011.
According to the plan, community health service centers should set up teams consisting of a general practitioner, a nurse and a healthcare assistant, and sign contracts with patients suffering from chronic diseases in the neighborhood.
The goal is to channel chronic patients away from overburdened large hospitals and better monitor their condition.
Desheng community health service center in Xicheng district, which Dong visits, is one of the first grassroots healthcare providers to sign up patients and has taken a lead in chronic disease management.
Rare diseases go untreated in China because of huge costs
by Zhang Yiqian
Eight-year-old Han Shuo looks no different from any other young child. She is quiet, loves reading, doing origami and watching singing competitions on TV.
However, she never takes part in sports at school, has to be extremely careful when climbing stairs, and when she has nosebleeds, it takes more than three hours to stop.
When she stands, even her ankle-length cotton dress can't hide the fact that her belly has swollen up like a pregnant woman's: her spleen is almost 40 times the normal size.
"She had wanted to become a doctor when she grows up, but the doctor said there's a possibility she won't live past 8 or 9," Han Shuo's father Han Qi said.
Han Shuo, living in Tianjin, was diagnosed with Gaucher's disease in 2009, a genetic disease that makes an enzyme defective and causes a fatty substance to accumulate in cells and organs. In Han's case, it makes her anemic, enlarges her spleen and obstructs her skeletal growth.
Enzyme replacement therapy is the only method to reduce the size of her spleen and keep her blood level stable, but the medicine costs about 2 million yuan ($329,456) per year.
Gaucher's disease is categorized as a "rare disease." According to the World Health Organization, a rare disease is one that affects a small percentage of the population, ranging from 0.65 to 1 in 1,000. However, China does not have a clear definition of a rare disease. Moreover, the medicine developed to treat these diseases - often known as "orphan drugs" - are too expensive for patients, and sometimes not produced because of low profit margins.
Activists are pushing to get these orphan drugs included in national medical insurance and trying to make rare diseases more known to the public. Meanwhile, patients like Han are still faced with a dilemma.
Eight-year-old Han Shuo looks no different from any other young child. She is quiet, loves reading, doing origami and watching singing competitions on TV.
However, she never takes part in sports at school, has to be extremely careful when climbing stairs, and when she has nosebleeds, it takes more than three hours to stop.
When she stands, even her ankle-length cotton dress can't hide the fact that her belly has swollen up like a pregnant woman's: her spleen is almost 40 times the normal size.
"She had wanted to become a doctor when she grows up, but the doctor said there's a possibility she won't live past 8 or 9," Han Shuo's father Han Qi said.
Han Shuo, living in Tianjin, was diagnosed with Gaucher's disease in 2009, a genetic disease that makes an enzyme defective and causes a fatty substance to accumulate in cells and organs. In Han's case, it makes her anemic, enlarges her spleen and obstructs her skeletal growth.
Enzyme replacement therapy is the only method to reduce the size of her spleen and keep her blood level stable, but the medicine costs about 2 million yuan ($329,456) per year.
Gaucher's disease is categorized as a "rare disease." According to the World Health Organization, a rare disease is one that affects a small percentage of the population, ranging from 0.65 to 1 in 1,000. However, China does not have a clear definition of a rare disease. Moreover, the medicine developed to treat these diseases - often known as "orphan drugs" - are too expensive for patients, and sometimes not produced because of low profit margins.
Activists are pushing to get these orphan drugs included in national medical insurance and trying to make rare diseases more known to the public. Meanwhile, patients like Han are still faced with a dilemma.
Shaanxi obstetrician on trial for selling six babies to human traffickers
Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician who allegedly sold new born children to human traffickers, is on trial at the Intermediate People's Court in Weinan City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Zhang is charged with selling six children between November 2011 and July 2013 with one of them dying during the commission of the offence. Zhang allegedly gained tens of thousands of yuan from the trafficking.
On July 16, 2013, Dong Shanshan, a local resident in Shaanxi Province's Fuping County gave birth to a baby boy at the Fuping Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. Zhang, who was deputy director of the hospital's maternity department, told her and her husband Lai Guofeng that the child suffered from syphilis and hepatitis B transmitted from the mother and would not survive.
Zhang did not let the couple see their baby but said he had already been taken away.
Lai questioned the doctor's diagnosis and took his wife to another county hospital for syphilis and hepatitis B tests the following day. Two days later, the test results showed his wife was free of both diseases.
On July 20, Lai contacted police who investigated and found the baby in central China's Henan Province 20 days after he was born.
Zhang is charged with selling six children between November 2011 and July 2013 with one of them dying during the commission of the offence. Zhang allegedly gained tens of thousands of yuan from the trafficking.
On July 16, 2013, Dong Shanshan, a local resident in Shaanxi Province's Fuping County gave birth to a baby boy at the Fuping Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. Zhang, who was deputy director of the hospital's maternity department, told her and her husband Lai Guofeng that the child suffered from syphilis and hepatitis B transmitted from the mother and would not survive.
Zhang did not let the couple see their baby but said he had already been taken away.
Lai questioned the doctor's diagnosis and took his wife to another county hospital for syphilis and hepatitis B tests the following day. Two days later, the test results showed his wife was free of both diseases.
On July 20, Lai contacted police who investigated and found the baby in central China's Henan Province 20 days after he was born.
Family facing 180,000 RMB medical bill refuse to move out of Shenzhen hospital
A teenager has been staying in a hospital in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province for about 500 days after she received medical treatment there, though the hospital suggested she leave 14 times considering her healthy condition.
Xiaomin, 16 years old, came to the Shenzhen Children's Hospital for dilated cardiomyopathy with fatal arrhythmia on July 2010, when the hospital gave medical treatment for three days and saved her life.
From August 2012, the hospital began to suggest Xiaomin leave the hospital considering her healthy situation. The hospital also invited experts to carry out consultation meetings on the teenager's health several times.
The hospital said the family used the patient room with three beds as their home, living there, cooking meals, bathing and resting. However, the family refused to move out.
In the past 500 days, the medical fees reached another 180,000 yuan ($29,646), and the family had only paid 8,000 yuan. Xiaomin's father surnamed Ge said he could only earn about 1,000 yuan a month, and his factory was about to go bankrupt.
Source: Global Times
Xiaomin, 16 years old, came to the Shenzhen Children's Hospital for dilated cardiomyopathy with fatal arrhythmia on July 2010, when the hospital gave medical treatment for three days and saved her life.
From August 2012, the hospital began to suggest Xiaomin leave the hospital considering her healthy situation. The hospital also invited experts to carry out consultation meetings on the teenager's health several times.
The hospital said the family used the patient room with three beds as their home, living there, cooking meals, bathing and resting. However, the family refused to move out.
In the past 500 days, the medical fees reached another 180,000 yuan ($29,646), and the family had only paid 8,000 yuan. Xiaomin's father surnamed Ge said he could only earn about 1,000 yuan a month, and his factory was about to go bankrupt.
Source: Global Times
Monday, 30 December 2013
Party officials ordered to lead by example in anti-smoking efforts
Deng Xiaoping was famous for chain smoking Panda brand cigarettes, but if he was still around he'd be disciplined and subject to "criticism from the masses" under new regulations that require all Party officials to set a good example in fighting the "evil influence" of tobacco.
A new directive from the Communist Party Central Committee Office and the State Council orders Party members and government officials ('ganbu') to take the lead in enforcing smoking bans in public areas, government buildings and also during government business. Officials are expected to act as model examples and to strictly uphold no smoking policies to maintain the image and reputation of the Party, the edict states.
The directive orders pubic officials to take serious note of the importance attached by the leadership to the non-smoking policies for public areas. As well as setting an example by refraining from smoking themselves, officials are also expected to actively implement and monitor programmes to enforce the smoking bans.
The no-smoking policies apply to public areas in schools, colleges, sports facilities, and cultural venues, as well as transport facilities such as airports. Officials are ordered to ensure that No Smoking signs are displayed prominently and that bans are actively enforced. Government officials are also expected to ensure that no smoking policies are implemented in government buildings - including areas such as corridors, bathrooms, stairways, reception halls and canteens.
The directive also forbids officials from smoking while on government business and from offering or supplying cigarettes to others or encouraging others to smoke while on government business.
Officials "at all levels" who fail to observe the new rules will be subject to disciplinary action and undergo criticism, the directive says. Officials can also expect to be subject to the 'supervision of the masses and public opinion", it warns.
Journalists investigate Beijing hospitals new appointment system - and find it will never work well
translation by Michael Woodhead
Journalists from China's "Health News" have investigated Beijing hospitals' new appointment system introduced four months ago - and found that patients still face long and variable waits to be seen and probably always will unless a gatekeeper system is introduced.
Reporter Liu Zhenni and colleagues evaluated the new appointment system that has replaced the notorious "take a number" system that often meant patients and their families had to queue up for long periods in the early morning to get a registration number and then face additional waits until their number came up.
Under the new system patients can call a 114 number and get a registration number and 'appointment time' over the phone instead of having to queue up in person. However, when the reporters investigated the actual working of the system, they found that patients faced long delays despite arriving at the hospital at the nominated 'appointment' time. In one instance a woman who was given an appointment time of 8am at the Beijing Maternity Hospital outpatients clinic was not actually seen until 9.40am. Under the new system, patient are given an SMS reminder for the time to arrive at the hospital, but these did not reflect the time the patient would actually seen.
On speaking to hospital staff, the reporters found that waiting time varied considerably depending on the daily situation in the clinic, with factors such as patient numbers and illness type affecting waiting times for other patients.
Altogether, six hospitals have adopted the new system, and some had better performance times than others. At the Beijing Third Hospital the SMS reminder gave an 'estimated' appointment time of 1-2pm. The actual time seen was 2.30pm. At a gynecology clinic the suggested time was 2.45pm to 4pm, and the patient was actually seen at 3.15pm.
However, the appointment system is still better than the old 'take a number and wait' system. At the Dongzhimen Hospital which still uses the old system, the journalist arrived at 8am to queue for a number, and was not able to get one until 11am. He eventually was able to see a doctor at 11.30am - a total wait of 3.5 hours.
At the Meitan Hospital, Dr Zheng Shanhai told reporters it would be very difficult to achieve an accurate appointment time service under the current Chinese system of seeing patients directly in hospital regardless of grading of disease severity. Dr Zheng said some other countries had a 'gatekeeper' healthcare system in which patients were first seen in community clinics and only referred to higher grade hospitals or specialist centres if they could not be treated locally. This allowed health services to predict patient numbers and also to plan for demand and thus give accurate times for appointments. However, in the Chinese health system, doctors working in the hospital system had to be prepared to see large numbers of undifferentiated patients, said Dr Zheng. This meant that much of their time was taken up with treating minor illness, forcing patients with more serious illness to endure long waits. He likened it to catching a public bus at rush hour and having to wait in a traffic jam - under such a system it was difficult if not impossible to give an accurate estimation of the arrival time.
In the article, journalists said patients deserved to be given some idea of how long they might need to wait under the new system rather than being kept 'in the dark', but hospitals offered no information or suggestions of possible delay times. A staff member of the new 114 phone appointment system said appointment time-slots were generated by an automated system and the actual waiting time and consultation time-slot would be decided by staff in the clinics, according to 'on the ground' realities.
The journalists asked why hospitals could not provide estimated waiting times to patients, based on past experience and patient numbers. For example, if consultation times averaged 10 minutes and there were 100 patients, then it should be possible to give patients an estimated consultation timeslot according to their place in the sequence.
However, a Dr Xu at Tongren Hospital said there was no such thing as 'average' consultation time because times varied according to the patient's condition and staff availability. Hospitals were faced with an unequal and unpredictable 'supply and demand' situation, he said. It would only be possible to give an accurate appointment time if consultation times and patient numbers were strictly controlled - and this was not the case under China's current healthcare system. With rising demand for health services it would mean patients being asked to wait weeks or even months for an appointment.
A spokeswoman for the Beijing Health Department said the new system had only been operating for four months and it was still in the initial stages of implementation. Although it had aimed to give patients a consultation time-slot within half an hour of the suggested appointment time, it was not possible for hospitals to achieve such precise waiting and treatment times in the early stages, she said.
Source: Health News
Journalists from China's "Health News" have investigated Beijing hospitals' new appointment system introduced four months ago - and found that patients still face long and variable waits to be seen and probably always will unless a gatekeeper system is introduced.
Reporter Liu Zhenni and colleagues evaluated the new appointment system that has replaced the notorious "take a number" system that often meant patients and their families had to queue up for long periods in the early morning to get a registration number and then face additional waits until their number came up.
Under the new system patients can call a 114 number and get a registration number and 'appointment time' over the phone instead of having to queue up in person. However, when the reporters investigated the actual working of the system, they found that patients faced long delays despite arriving at the hospital at the nominated 'appointment' time. In one instance a woman who was given an appointment time of 8am at the Beijing Maternity Hospital outpatients clinic was not actually seen until 9.40am. Under the new system, patient are given an SMS reminder for the time to arrive at the hospital, but these did not reflect the time the patient would actually seen.
On speaking to hospital staff, the reporters found that waiting time varied considerably depending on the daily situation in the clinic, with factors such as patient numbers and illness type affecting waiting times for other patients.
Altogether, six hospitals have adopted the new system, and some had better performance times than others. At the Beijing Third Hospital the SMS reminder gave an 'estimated' appointment time of 1-2pm. The actual time seen was 2.30pm. At a gynecology clinic the suggested time was 2.45pm to 4pm, and the patient was actually seen at 3.15pm.
However, the appointment system is still better than the old 'take a number and wait' system. At the Dongzhimen Hospital which still uses the old system, the journalist arrived at 8am to queue for a number, and was not able to get one until 11am. He eventually was able to see a doctor at 11.30am - a total wait of 3.5 hours.
At the Meitan Hospital, Dr Zheng Shanhai told reporters it would be very difficult to achieve an accurate appointment time service under the current Chinese system of seeing patients directly in hospital regardless of grading of disease severity. Dr Zheng said some other countries had a 'gatekeeper' healthcare system in which patients were first seen in community clinics and only referred to higher grade hospitals or specialist centres if they could not be treated locally. This allowed health services to predict patient numbers and also to plan for demand and thus give accurate times for appointments. However, in the Chinese health system, doctors working in the hospital system had to be prepared to see large numbers of undifferentiated patients, said Dr Zheng. This meant that much of their time was taken up with treating minor illness, forcing patients with more serious illness to endure long waits. He likened it to catching a public bus at rush hour and having to wait in a traffic jam - under such a system it was difficult if not impossible to give an accurate estimation of the arrival time.
In the article, journalists said patients deserved to be given some idea of how long they might need to wait under the new system rather than being kept 'in the dark', but hospitals offered no information or suggestions of possible delay times. A staff member of the new 114 phone appointment system said appointment time-slots were generated by an automated system and the actual waiting time and consultation time-slot would be decided by staff in the clinics, according to 'on the ground' realities.
The journalists asked why hospitals could not provide estimated waiting times to patients, based on past experience and patient numbers. For example, if consultation times averaged 10 minutes and there were 100 patients, then it should be possible to give patients an estimated consultation timeslot according to their place in the sequence.
However, a Dr Xu at Tongren Hospital said there was no such thing as 'average' consultation time because times varied according to the patient's condition and staff availability. Hospitals were faced with an unequal and unpredictable 'supply and demand' situation, he said. It would only be possible to give an accurate appointment time if consultation times and patient numbers were strictly controlled - and this was not the case under China's current healthcare system. With rising demand for health services it would mean patients being asked to wait weeks or even months for an appointment.
A spokeswoman for the Beijing Health Department said the new system had only been operating for four months and it was still in the initial stages of implementation. Although it had aimed to give patients a consultation time-slot within half an hour of the suggested appointment time, it was not possible for hospitals to achieve such precise waiting and treatment times in the early stages, she said.
Source: Health News
Shanghai to allow public hospital doctors to work at new clinic for rich foreigners
Eight leading state-owned hospitals in the city signed an agreement
with the Shanghai International Medical Center yesterday that will allow
doctors from the state hospitals to work at the international center.
Pudong officials said the establishment of the medical center is to attract expatriates and wealthy Chinese to seek treatment in the city instead of going to Hong Kong or to their home countries for treatment. The private hospital is managed by Singapore-based ParkwayHealth, the largest health group in Asia.
The medical center will start operating in March next year at the Pudong International Medical Zone, one of the city’s two medical zones that will host private and joint-venture hospitals offering high-end health service.
It will be the first time that a private hospital will have medical staff from state hospitals, thanks to the health reforms promoted by the city to develop and promote private health facilities.
Pudong officials said the establishment of the medical center is to attract expatriates and wealthy Chinese to seek treatment in the city instead of going to Hong Kong or to their home countries for treatment. The private hospital is managed by Singapore-based ParkwayHealth, the largest health group in Asia.
The medical center will start operating in March next year at the Pudong International Medical Zone, one of the city’s two medical zones that will host private and joint-venture hospitals offering high-end health service.
It will be the first time that a private hospital will have medical staff from state hospitals, thanks to the health reforms promoted by the city to develop and promote private health facilities.
Beijing clinics treats foreigners for 50c
Community health service centers play a vital role for Chinese patients but they also provide services to expatriates.
Sanlitun, an area of Beijing with a large foreign population, is a prime example.
Nestled among embassies and expatriate residences,
Sanlitun health service center receives about 120,000 patients annually.
Of these, more than 400 are expatriates, including staff members of
embassies and companies and their families, said Cui Xueli, director of
the center.
"We charge them the same price that we charge Chinese residents," he said.
It costs just 3 yuan (49 US cents) to consult a doctor at the center.
According to Cui, expats go to the center mainly for
vaccinations for their children and physical checkups before they start
kindergarten. Some come for treatment of minor ailments such as colds,
fevers or inflammations, as well as dental problems.
Karoshi (death from overwork) among doctors in China
Letter in BMJ from Dr Dai Cong of Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital, China
Medical University,
Shenyang, Liaoning:
Karoshi happens among doctors in China's large tertiary hospitals such as Wang Qi from Armed Police General hospital. Karoshi means “death from overwork”. The term is said to have originated in 1982 when three Japanese doctors published a book entitled karoshi that noted many victims of overworking and included research into their deaths. The victims were young men who were otherwise healthy, but worked more than 60 hours a week on average and had died on the job from heart attacks and strokes.
Recently there is an increasing outpatient workload in China's large tertiary hospitals. The reason is that there is no general practioner-based referral system in China and there is a huge difference between large tertiary hospitals and community hospitals in China. At the same time, the outpatient consultation fee is almost the same between large tertiary hospitals and community hospitals. Thus, these doctors from large tertiary hospitals are overwhelmed with heavy outpatient workloads. And these factors have led to Chinese doctors working more than 80 hours a week.
In a 2011 survey of 6,000 doctors by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, 78% said they wouldn’t want their children to study medicine. And nearly 40% of medical personnel surveyed at 316 hospitals nationwide from December 2012 to July 2013 said they plan to give up their profession due to increased heavy workloads in hospitals. I hope that this correspondence might reduce the heavy outpatient workloads and avoid the karoshi of doctors in China.
Karoshi happens among doctors in China's large tertiary hospitals such as Wang Qi from Armed Police General hospital. Karoshi means “death from overwork”. The term is said to have originated in 1982 when three Japanese doctors published a book entitled karoshi that noted many victims of overworking and included research into their deaths. The victims were young men who were otherwise healthy, but worked more than 60 hours a week on average and had died on the job from heart attacks and strokes.
Recently there is an increasing outpatient workload in China's large tertiary hospitals. The reason is that there is no general practioner-based referral system in China and there is a huge difference between large tertiary hospitals and community hospitals in China. At the same time, the outpatient consultation fee is almost the same between large tertiary hospitals and community hospitals. Thus, these doctors from large tertiary hospitals are overwhelmed with heavy outpatient workloads. And these factors have led to Chinese doctors working more than 80 hours a week.
In a 2011 survey of 6,000 doctors by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, 78% said they wouldn’t want their children to study medicine. And nearly 40% of medical personnel surveyed at 316 hospitals nationwide from December 2012 to July 2013 said they plan to give up their profession due to increased heavy workloads in hospitals. I hope that this correspondence might reduce the heavy outpatient workloads and avoid the karoshi of doctors in China.
Hyperthyroidism diagnosis for Jet Li
The Chinese action star known for his kung fu skills discussed his diagnosis during the taping of a talent show he’s judging in China.
In Tuesday’s taping, the 50-year-old Li appeared to have a fuller face and heavier frame.
He said his weight has fluctuated but he’s taking it all in stride. Li joked about his weight and said, “I’m fat. I don’t have the time to lose it. It’s a fact!”
He explained that exercise is not advised with the medication he’s taking. An overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, causes changes in a person’s metabolism and heart rate, among other symptoms, but is generally treatable with medications.
Li was diagnosed in 2010. He kept his condition under control with medication, but it came back with a vengeance recently.
Sunday, 29 December 2013
What are the new "The Nine Forbiddens" for China's hospitals and medical staff?
The National Health and Family Planning Commission has issued a list of "Nine Forbiddens" (“九不准”) outlining nine prohibited activities for hospitals and medical staff, in an effort to stamp out bribery, corruption and unhealthy commercial activities in the healthcare sector.
Under the rules, medical and hospital staff are:
1. Not allowed to have individual salaries linked to income from pharmaceutical products or medical tests.
2. Not allowed to receive percentages of medical billing.
3. Not allowed to charge unauthorised fees.
4. Not allowed to accept unauthorised community charitable donations or subsidies from community.
5. Not allowed to participate in sales and marketing activities or put out unauthorised medical adverts.
6. Not allowed to be involved in business cartels
7. Not allowed to be involved in unauthorised private procurement of medical and drug supplies
8. Not allowed to accept kickbacks
9. Not allowed to accept red envelopes and other inducements from patients
Under the rules, medical and hospital staff are:
1. Not allowed to have individual salaries linked to income from pharmaceutical products or medical tests.
2. Not allowed to receive percentages of medical billing.
3. Not allowed to charge unauthorised fees.
4. Not allowed to accept unauthorised community charitable donations or subsidies from community.
5. Not allowed to participate in sales and marketing activities or put out unauthorised medical adverts.
6. Not allowed to be involved in business cartels
7. Not allowed to be involved in unauthorised private procurement of medical and drug supplies
8. Not allowed to accept kickbacks
9. Not allowed to accept red envelopes and other inducements from patients
Why domestic pharma companies are the only investors in new private hospitals in China
by Benjamin Shobert
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to connect with someone who has a front-row seat to China’s hospital privatization. Positioned to see deal-flow in real time, I asked the question of whether the actual inbound investments were what either the Chinese government or institutional investors expected after China’s recent attempts to prime the privatization engine. The person very carefully but candidly pointed out that thus far, actual deal flow had not been what they were expecting.
Some of this reflects unrealistic expectations on the part of foreign capital who misread changes to China's FDI catalogue that allowed foreign ownership of hospitals and healthcare institutions. These disappointed investors misunderstood that China’s process of opening this sector to foreign capital would be gradual and would initially favor private investment and ownership by domestic players over foreign entrants. Regardless, my contact noted that results thus far were not what many had expected.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to connect with someone who has a front-row seat to China’s hospital privatization. Positioned to see deal-flow in real time, I asked the question of whether the actual inbound investments were what either the Chinese government or institutional investors expected after China’s recent attempts to prime the privatization engine. The person very carefully but candidly pointed out that thus far, actual deal flow had not been what they were expecting.
Some of this reflects unrealistic expectations on the part of foreign capital who misread changes to China's FDI catalogue that allowed foreign ownership of hospitals and healthcare institutions. These disappointed investors misunderstood that China’s process of opening this sector to foreign capital would be gradual and would initially favor private investment and ownership by domestic players over foreign entrants. Regardless, my contact noted that results thus far were not what many had expected.
China reports 12th hepatitis B vaccine-related death
An infant in south China's Hainan Province died on Friday after receiving hepatitis B vaccine, local authorities said, bringing the total of such cases to 12 in the country.
Medical specialists are on their way to look into the cause of death in Lin'gao County in Hainan.
This is the third infant death linked to hepatitis B vaccines produced by the Beijing Tiantan Biological Products Co. Ltd.
Source: Peoples Daily
Medical specialists are on their way to look into the cause of death in Lin'gao County in Hainan.
This is the third infant death linked to hepatitis B vaccines produced by the Beijing Tiantan Biological Products Co. Ltd.
Source: Peoples Daily
Blacklisting for healthcare firms involved in bribery
by Laurie Burkitt
China's health regulators are rolling out a corporate blacklist for drug and medical-device companies implicated in commercial bribery, a move aimed at stamping out corruption in the country's graft-ridden health-care sector.
Beginning in March, the National Health and Family Planning Commission will publish on its website a record of medical-related manufacturers, agencies and individuals charged with bribery by courts, and sued, punished or investigated for bribery, the commission said in a statement on its website Friday. The statement also said that the agency reserved the right to place any company on the list for legal and regulatory violations.
Listed companies will be barred for two years from selling their products within the province in which they are implicated, the statement said. It said companies can apply as usual to sell their products in other provinces but will be at a disadvantage.Companies listed twice in a five-year period will be banned nationally for two years, the statement said.
China's health regulators are rolling out a corporate blacklist for drug and medical-device companies implicated in commercial bribery, a move aimed at stamping out corruption in the country's graft-ridden health-care sector.
Beginning in March, the National Health and Family Planning Commission will publish on its website a record of medical-related manufacturers, agencies and individuals charged with bribery by courts, and sued, punished or investigated for bribery, the commission said in a statement on its website Friday. The statement also said that the agency reserved the right to place any company on the list for legal and regulatory violations.
Listed companies will be barred for two years from selling their products within the province in which they are implicated, the statement said. It said companies can apply as usual to sell their products in other provinces but will be at a disadvantage.Companies listed twice in a five-year period will be banned nationally for two years, the statement said.
WHO defends China's hepatitis B vaccination programme
China's vaccines are produced and regulated in
accordance with international standards, and the hepatitis B vaccination
program is vital in safeguarding children against the illness,
according to the World Health Organization.
Bernhard Schwartlander, China representative for the international health body, made these points during an interview with China Daily on Thursday.
"Given that the hepatitis B virus is still around, it's important for babies to get vaccinated," he said.
The WHO Beijing office met with the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Thursday to discuss the latest developments surrounding incidents in which 11 newborns have died after being inoculated against hepatitis B.
According to Schwartlander, it's difficult to establish a causal link between the vaccines and the babies' deaths since nearly all infants in China receive the vaccine as part of a very successful vaccination program.
Bernhard Schwartlander, China representative for the international health body, made these points during an interview with China Daily on Thursday.
"Given that the hepatitis B virus is still around, it's important for babies to get vaccinated," he said.
The WHO Beijing office met with the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Thursday to discuss the latest developments surrounding incidents in which 11 newborns have died after being inoculated against hepatitis B.
According to Schwartlander, it's difficult to establish a causal link between the vaccines and the babies' deaths since nearly all infants in China receive the vaccine as part of a very successful vaccination program.
Saturday, 28 December 2013
Foreign doctors find over-treatment and lack of trust in Chinese medical practice
In front of a community health clinic nestled in a hutong in Dongcheng district stands a signboard that reads in Chinese: "British doctor, feet checked for free." Inside the clinic is Dr Gilbert Shia, 56, who examines the feet of people at risk of diabetes for early warning signs of the disease.
Born in Hong Kong, Shia studied medicine and practiced in the UK for around 30 years before he relocated to Beijing in 2006.
As a general practitioner (GP), Shia was lured to China to be a part of the government's reforms to the healthcare system. "I think the British [general practice] concept is suitable for China. If I want to promote it, I need to come to the place where policies are made," Shia said of why he chose Beijing over other cities, including his parents' hometown of Shanghai.
Born in Hong Kong, Shia studied medicine and practiced in the UK for around 30 years before he relocated to Beijing in 2006.
As a general practitioner (GP), Shia was lured to China to be a part of the government's reforms to the healthcare system. "I think the British [general practice] concept is suitable for China. If I want to promote it, I need to come to the place where policies are made," Shia said of why he chose Beijing over other cities, including his parents' hometown of Shanghai.
Ways to ease doctor-patient tensions
by Hu Jia
The number of incidents against doctors and nurses in 2013 has increased nearly 8 percent compared to 5 years ago, according to figures released by the Chinese Hospital Association. Over-prescription by doctors, a way to increase revenue for hospitals and doctors themselves, is believed to be a source of increasing complaints by the patients.
Data shows about 40 percent of hospital revenue comes from medicine sales, with another 40 to 50 percent from diagnostic tests and treatments.
The Chinese government has been tackling the problem in recent years.
Chen Zhu was former Chinese Health Minister, who stepped down from the post in March 2013.
He said the government aims to relieve doctors the burden of marketing medicines.
"To separate drug sales from medical treatment, we have rescinded the policy for hospitals on medicine prices, under which hospitals were allowed to raise prices by up to 15 percent. This would help curb over-prescription and unnecessary check-ups."
It's hoped the reform effort will help reduce costs in the healthcare system, reducing patient complaints and violence.
The number of incidents against doctors and nurses in 2013 has increased nearly 8 percent compared to 5 years ago, according to figures released by the Chinese Hospital Association. Over-prescription by doctors, a way to increase revenue for hospitals and doctors themselves, is believed to be a source of increasing complaints by the patients.
Data shows about 40 percent of hospital revenue comes from medicine sales, with another 40 to 50 percent from diagnostic tests and treatments.
The Chinese government has been tackling the problem in recent years.
Chen Zhu was former Chinese Health Minister, who stepped down from the post in March 2013.
He said the government aims to relieve doctors the burden of marketing medicines.
"To separate drug sales from medical treatment, we have rescinded the policy for hospitals on medicine prices, under which hospitals were allowed to raise prices by up to 15 percent. This would help curb over-prescription and unnecessary check-ups."
It's hoped the reform effort will help reduce costs in the healthcare system, reducing patient complaints and violence.
Private health clinics used to promote family doctor care
Beijing is embracing primary healthcare outside traditional structures, as local governments in Chaoyang and Haidian districts introduce private hospitals and clinics to services long provided by community health centers.
"We are planning to transform a private hospital into a community health service center. It is going to open in 2014, according to the plan," said Yang Hua, deputy head of the health bureau of Chaoyang district.
Two private clinics in Haidian district are also turning themselves into primary-care providers.
"This lessens the burden on the government, as it is not able to set aside as much money and it’s hard to find a piece of land suitable to build a new community health center," said Gui Xiaohai, deputy head of the district’s health bureau. "The government should take most of the responsibility in providing primary care, but other organizations can also complement the service."
"We are planning to transform a private hospital into a community health service center. It is going to open in 2014, according to the plan," said Yang Hua, deputy head of the health bureau of Chaoyang district.
Two private clinics in Haidian district are also turning themselves into primary-care providers.
"This lessens the burden on the government, as it is not able to set aside as much money and it’s hard to find a piece of land suitable to build a new community health center," said Gui Xiaohai, deputy head of the district’s health bureau. "The government should take most of the responsibility in providing primary care, but other organizations can also complement the service."
Friday, 27 December 2013
Patients to be given access to independent 'second opinion' clinicians to mediate on medical disputes
To assess injuries and make judgments on hospitals' diagnoses and
treatment plans, 1,390 medical experts in Beijing have been selected to
serve as a professional third party in medical disputes and as expert
witnesses in court, the Beijing News reported.
These experts, who have been recommended by medical and judicial institutions, cover a wide range of disciplines, including internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, forensic medicine, nursing, etc. Their first term will last four years.
According to an official, when a medical dispute occurs, experts will be randomly selected by the hospital and the patient. If any expert is found to be associated with the hospital in question or related to the patient, they will be asked to recuse themselves.
Source: Global Times
These experts, who have been recommended by medical and judicial institutions, cover a wide range of disciplines, including internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, forensic medicine, nursing, etc. Their first term will last four years.
According to an official, when a medical dispute occurs, experts will be randomly selected by the hospital and the patient. If any expert is found to be associated with the hospital in question or related to the patient, they will be asked to recuse themselves.
Source: Global Times
Health and Family Planning Commission on the trail of missing billions in family planning violation fines
There’s confusion over a billion yuan discrepancy in fines collected for violating the one-child policy in the southern province of
Guangdong last year .
Figures published by its finance department and the health authority show a disparity of around 1.1 billion yuan (US$181million).
In a letter to Han Zhipeng, a political adviser of provincial capital Guangzhou, the finance department said yesterday that 2.613 billion yuan had been raised. However, earlier this month, Guangdong Health and Family Planning Commission said they only levied fines of 1.456 billion yuan.
Yesterday, the finance department said its officials had included more cases and thus its number was bigger, according to Legal Evening News.
The health and family planning commission said it was checking the data.
Figures published by its finance department and the health authority show a disparity of around 1.1 billion yuan (US$181million).
In a letter to Han Zhipeng, a political adviser of provincial capital Guangzhou, the finance department said yesterday that 2.613 billion yuan had been raised. However, earlier this month, Guangdong Health and Family Planning Commission said they only levied fines of 1.456 billion yuan.
Yesterday, the finance department said its officials had included more cases and thus its number was bigger, according to Legal Evening News.
The health and family planning commission said it was checking the data.
Doctors now banned from accepting kickbacks and commissions
Doctors who take kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies or accept "red envelopes" from patients will face punishments ranging from reproach to dismissal.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine said in a joint circular on Thursday that doctors are banned from promoting medical ads and taking commissions from the prescription of drugs.
Doctors are not allowed to accept illegal donations, nor are they allowed to purchase or use medical products, according to the circular.
The move to promote clean work styles among doctors came as part of a more comprehensive campaign against corruption launched by the Communist Party of China at the end of 2012.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine said in a joint circular on Thursday that doctors are banned from promoting medical ads and taking commissions from the prescription of drugs.
Doctors are not allowed to accept illegal donations, nor are they allowed to purchase or use medical products, according to the circular.
The move to promote clean work styles among doctors came as part of a more comprehensive campaign against corruption launched by the Communist Party of China at the end of 2012.
Doctors prepare for surge in demand for maternity care
The government's relaxation of its birth rule to allow more couples to have a second baby provided an instant stimulus to maternity-care and fertility centers on the Chinese mainland.
Preparations for changes that will come with the new policy — which authorities expect to be implemented early next year — are now under way.
Late last month, the Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital affiliated with the Zhejiang University took the national lead by opening a special consultation unit designed to help newly eligible couples have a healthy second child.
Preparations for changes that will come with the new policy — which authorities expect to be implemented early next year — are now under way.
Late last month, the Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital affiliated with the Zhejiang University took the national lead by opening a special consultation unit designed to help newly eligible couples have a healthy second child.
Tiantan hospital to move from historic location
Tiantan Hospital, a top-level hospital in downtown Beijing, is to be moved to the southwestern suburb of Fengtai district in 2017, officials said on Thursday.
The hospital is located inside the outer wall of Tiantan, the Temple of Heaven, a park where emperors held sacrifices during Ming and Qing dynasties.
Zhao Lei, deputy director of the Beijing Commission of Development and Reform, said moving the hospital from the Temple of Heaven will better protect the historic site.
The move will also help relieve pressure in urban Beijing and better allocate the city's medical resources, as most top-level hospitals in Beijing are concentrated downtown, he said.
"Within the radius of five kilometers from Tiantan Hospital are many hospitals, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Tongren Hospital, Friendship Hospital and Xuanwu Hospital," he said. "Moving Tiantan Hospital will help allocate quality medical resources to Fengtai district, and not as many people will have to swarm to hospitals downtown."
The new site of Tiantan Hospital will cover an area of 352,000 square meters, nearly four times the area of the present hospital. Construction is expected to finish by the end of 2017, for an estimated cost of 3.66 billion yuan ($603 million).
Source: China Daily
The hospital is located inside the outer wall of Tiantan, the Temple of Heaven, a park where emperors held sacrifices during Ming and Qing dynasties.
Zhao Lei, deputy director of the Beijing Commission of Development and Reform, said moving the hospital from the Temple of Heaven will better protect the historic site.
The move will also help relieve pressure in urban Beijing and better allocate the city's medical resources, as most top-level hospitals in Beijing are concentrated downtown, he said.
"Within the radius of five kilometers from Tiantan Hospital are many hospitals, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Tongren Hospital, Friendship Hospital and Xuanwu Hospital," he said. "Moving Tiantan Hospital will help allocate quality medical resources to Fengtai district, and not as many people will have to swarm to hospitals downtown."
The new site of Tiantan Hospital will cover an area of 352,000 square meters, nearly four times the area of the present hospital. Construction is expected to finish by the end of 2017, for an estimated cost of 3.66 billion yuan ($603 million).
Source: China Daily
Thursday, 26 December 2013
Beijing wants medical services in nursing homes
Beijing is seeking to set up medical institutions in nursing homes to improve medical services for seniors.
In addition, the city's more than 9,000 hospitals and community-based health service centers will also provide services to the graying society, according to the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau.
Of the more than 400 nursing homes for the elderly, more than 30 provide medical services covered by national health insurance.
Statistics show that of the 9,800 medical institutes in the city, 1,897 are community-based health service centers, and these are more equipped and have more space and beds.
"We want to use the vacant beds and spare staff of the medical institutes," said Du Peng, a professor at Renmin University of China.
Under current policy, hospitals are not qualified to provide seniors with beds and a pension service, which has impeded the medical institutes from fully making use of its resources.
Source: City of Beijing
In addition, the city's more than 9,000 hospitals and community-based health service centers will also provide services to the graying society, according to the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau.
Of the more than 400 nursing homes for the elderly, more than 30 provide medical services covered by national health insurance.
Statistics show that of the 9,800 medical institutes in the city, 1,897 are community-based health service centers, and these are more equipped and have more space and beds.
"We want to use the vacant beds and spare staff of the medical institutes," said Du Peng, a professor at Renmin University of China.
Under current policy, hospitals are not qualified to provide seniors with beds and a pension service, which has impeded the medical institutes from fully making use of its resources.
Source: City of Beijing
Experts defend hepatitis B immunisation programme after deaths
The hepatitis B vaccination program for newborns should stay in place despite the recent deaths of eight babies, medical experts said.
But expectant mothers are worried about the quality of vaccines as authorities investigate the cause of the deaths.
Jia Jidong, who leads the Liver Research Center at the Beijing Friendship Hospital, cited China's relatively high prevalence of the viral infection as a major reason for keeping the immunization program.
China reported a hepatitis B prevalence of more than 7 percent.
"We would have seen a relapse of the epidemic if the program was not well implemented,” he warned.
But expectant mothers are worried about the quality of vaccines as authorities investigate the cause of the deaths.
Jia Jidong, who leads the Liver Research Center at the Beijing Friendship Hospital, cited China's relatively high prevalence of the viral infection as a major reason for keeping the immunization program.
China reported a hepatitis B prevalence of more than 7 percent.
"We would have seen a relapse of the epidemic if the program was not well implemented,” he warned.
Autism numbers on the rise in China
More children are being diagnosed with autism, prompting the establishment of a new research center in Shanghai and more efforts to detect the disorder in infants. Wang Hongyi reports in Shanghai.
The "children of the stars", as autistic people are called in China, live with slow language development, an unwillingness to communicate and narrow interest ranges. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects normal brain function. It usually emerges in the first three years of life. The number of children with autism has been rising in recent years, drawing more attention to the condition, according to Du Yasong, a professor at Shanghai Mental Health Center, who is also an expert on autism. Du and his peers are still trying to determine why the numbers are up.
"There are not sufficient psychological counselors and professional medical staff for rehabilitation training for children. Much work needs to be done," Du says. Shanghai's Fudan University Autism Treatment and Clinical Research Center will establish the country's largest research network for identifying autism in children and treating it. The center will carry out a large epidemiological study among 120,000 autistic children aged between 6 and 12 by teaming up with universities and medical bodies from eight provinces. Under the three-year project, about 1,200 biological samples from autistic children will be collected to study the incidence of the disease and the factors causing it in China. Experts estimate that one in 100 children are being diagnosed with an autism, far higher than other diseases, such as cancer (1/1,500) and diabetes (1/500). In developed countries, about one in 110 children are diagnosed with autism.
"There has not yet been a large-scale epidemiologic investigation of the disease, but data from Guangzhou, Tianjin and some places show that about one in 120 children are diagnosed with the disease," says Wang Yi, vice-president of Shanghai Children's Hospital of Fudan University where the research center is located.
Source: China Daily
The "children of the stars", as autistic people are called in China, live with slow language development, an unwillingness to communicate and narrow interest ranges. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects normal brain function. It usually emerges in the first three years of life. The number of children with autism has been rising in recent years, drawing more attention to the condition, according to Du Yasong, a professor at Shanghai Mental Health Center, who is also an expert on autism. Du and his peers are still trying to determine why the numbers are up.
"There are not sufficient psychological counselors and professional medical staff for rehabilitation training for children. Much work needs to be done," Du says. Shanghai's Fudan University Autism Treatment and Clinical Research Center will establish the country's largest research network for identifying autism in children and treating it. The center will carry out a large epidemiological study among 120,000 autistic children aged between 6 and 12 by teaming up with universities and medical bodies from eight provinces. Under the three-year project, about 1,200 biological samples from autistic children will be collected to study the incidence of the disease and the factors causing it in China. Experts estimate that one in 100 children are being diagnosed with an autism, far higher than other diseases, such as cancer (1/1,500) and diabetes (1/500). In developed countries, about one in 110 children are diagnosed with autism.
"There has not yet been a large-scale epidemiologic investigation of the disease, but data from Guangzhou, Tianjin and some places show that about one in 120 children are diagnosed with the disease," says Wang Yi, vice-president of Shanghai Children's Hospital of Fudan University where the research center is located.
Source: China Daily
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Happy Christmas to all readers of Chinese Medical News
I would like to wish you all a happy Christmas and a great New year for 2014
cheers!
Michael Woodhead
cheers!
Michael Woodhead
Hospital attacker gets life sentence
A hospital attacker with a mental disorder was sentenced to life imprisonment after a fatal assault at a hospital in East China's Anhui province last November, said a local court Tuesday.
Cai Chunfeng, 42, committed the crime of intentional homicide when he stabbed medical staff members on November 13, 2012 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, according to the Hefei Intermediate People's Court.
Cai was suspicious of the medical staff as he felt uncomfortable after receiving an enema and skin test before an operation, the court said.
He killed one nurse and injured four other medical staff, according to the court.
Cai was identified as having a paranoid-type mental disorder on April 16 and had diminished criminal responsibility at the time of the crime, according to the expert testimony institute of the Shanghai Mental Health Center.
Source: China Daily
Cai Chunfeng, 42, committed the crime of intentional homicide when he stabbed medical staff members on November 13, 2012 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, according to the Hefei Intermediate People's Court.
Cai was suspicious of the medical staff as he felt uncomfortable after receiving an enema and skin test before an operation, the court said.
He killed one nurse and injured four other medical staff, according to the court.
Cai was identified as having a paranoid-type mental disorder on April 16 and had diminished criminal responsibility at the time of the crime, according to the expert testimony institute of the Shanghai Mental Health Center.
Source: China Daily
Post-natal care comes with a hefty price tag
Post-natal care in China has taken a new twist in recent years. Modern moms are after non-conventional ways to help them recover after childbirth. Westernized, one-stop services are popular among first-time parents who are the only child.
First-time mom Xun Yanna was looking for a modern answer to the Chinese tradition of Zuoyuezi.
The term refers to new mothers having to stay indoors and not work for the first month after giving birth.
"I don't have to worry about anything. I have everything I need to recover and to feel and look energized again. It's every woman's dream to have this five-star service," Xun says.
Five-star service with a hefty price tag - some start at around 120-thousand reminbi or about 20,000 US dollars. But Xun says most modern moms like herself go against tradition and don't want to burden their parents.
They prefer professional post-natal care and don't mind paying.
First-time mom Xun Yanna was looking for a modern answer to the Chinese tradition of Zuoyuezi.
The term refers to new mothers having to stay indoors and not work for the first month after giving birth.
"I don't have to worry about anything. I have everything I need to recover and to feel and look energized again. It's every woman's dream to have this five-star service," Xun says.
Five-star service with a hefty price tag - some start at around 120-thousand reminbi or about 20,000 US dollars. But Xun says most modern moms like herself go against tradition and don't want to burden their parents.
They prefer professional post-natal care and don't mind paying.
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Hepatitis B vaccine death toll rises to seven, questions asked about slow recall
Seven children have now died in China since November following hepatitis B vaccination, raising questions of the effectiveness of the emergency response.
To date, four infants have died in south China's Guangdong Province after hepatitis B vaccinations with products made by Biokangtai,a Shenzhen drug manufacturer, the Provincial Disease Control and Prevention Center said on Monday. The four deaths in Guangdong occurred in Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Shenzhen and Meizhou, but the Zhongshan case was not related to the vaccine. The baby in that case died of pneumonia, according to the center. Autopsy results have not yet been released for the other three cases. Cause of the death can only be confirmed after autopsies which normally take 30 working days. Two babies in neighboring Hunan Province and another in the southwestern province of Sichuan died in similar circumstances, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. A circular on Friday ordered suspension of Biokangtai vaccinations,two weeks after the first Biokangtai link was established on Dec. 6. Babies died in Hunan on Dec. 9 and in Shenzhen on Dec. 17.
To date, four infants have died in south China's Guangdong Province after hepatitis B vaccinations with products made by Biokangtai,a Shenzhen drug manufacturer, the Provincial Disease Control and Prevention Center said on Monday. The four deaths in Guangdong occurred in Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Shenzhen and Meizhou, but the Zhongshan case was not related to the vaccine. The baby in that case died of pneumonia, according to the center. Autopsy results have not yet been released for the other three cases. Cause of the death can only be confirmed after autopsies which normally take 30 working days. Two babies in neighboring Hunan Province and another in the southwestern province of Sichuan died in similar circumstances, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. A circular on Friday ordered suspension of Biokangtai vaccinations,two weeks after the first Biokangtai link was established on Dec. 6. Babies died in Hunan on Dec. 9 and in Shenzhen on Dec. 17.
Medical dispute 'mediators' are actually extortionists
A recent string of violent disputes in Chinese hospitals has unexpectedly given rise to a shadowy new network of "medical mediators". Seeking to make a profit from disgruntled patients or patients' relatives, these false go-betweens have stoked already tense doctor-patient relations.
Safety concerns are at an all-time high in hospitals around China, following a spate of bloody attacks on medical workers. And out of these violent incidents has emerged a new profession: "medical mediators".
Often found floating around major hospitals and armed with basic legal knowledge, they form a shadowy and completely illicit business.
"These ’medical mediators’ get their information in hospitals. They try to get in contact with patients dissatisfied with the treatment received, or with the families of patients who died in hospital." Tan Peian, director of Police Station in Zhongshan city, said.
Safety concerns are at an all-time high in hospitals around China, following a spate of bloody attacks on medical workers. And out of these violent incidents has emerged a new profession: "medical mediators".
Often found floating around major hospitals and armed with basic legal knowledge, they form a shadowy and completely illicit business.
"These ’medical mediators’ get their information in hospitals. They try to get in contact with patients dissatisfied with the treatment received, or with the families of patients who died in hospital." Tan Peian, director of Police Station in Zhongshan city, said.
Brucellois endemic in 25 regions of China
The incidence of human brucellosis in China has been increasing
dramatically since 1999, Minerva was surprised to learn from an
epidemiological survey in BMC Infectious Diseases (2013;13:547, doi:10.1186/1471-2334-13-547).
Currently, human brucellosis is endemic in 25 of 32 provinces or
autonomous regions of China, and the paper looks at a total of 162 329
cases, reported from 2004 to 2010. Milk and cheese are not usually to
blame because lactose intolerance is common in China. Instead, it is
probably caused by the increasing density of animal herding in upland
areas and weather conditions that encourage proximity between humans and
animals. Cuddly sheep and goats are the main vectors—more independent
minded ruminants like antelope pose little threat to those who try to
farm them.
Source: Minerva, BMJ
Source: Minerva, BMJ
Medicine prices to be cut in 2014
Nearly 2,600 Chinese patent medicine suppliers have to lower their selling prices within the next 50 days due to new government regulations, leading to concerns within the industry which has shown an annual output value of 510 billion yuan (US$83.9 billion), reports Guangzhou's 21st Century Business Herald.
The market was abuzz recently with the news that the price adjustment regulated by the government will soon be finalized in the near future. The price decline will be more than 10%-5%, said a source, adding that products that need to drop by over 25% can slowly lower their prices over a two-year period.
The market was abuzz recently with the news that the price adjustment regulated by the government will soon be finalized in the near future. The price decline will be more than 10%-5%, said a source, adding that products that need to drop by over 25% can slowly lower their prices over a two-year period.
Guangdong buys extra hepatitis B vaccine to replace suspect batches
Guangdong has purchased 1.45 million doses of hepatitis B vaccine for
the province after health authorities halted the use of a vaccine
suspected in the deaths of four babies.
A baby boy in Shenzhen died on Tuesday after being inoculated with hepatitis B vaccine produced by Biokangtai, a local pharmaceutical company.
His death was the fourth such recently after babies were inoculated with the hepatitis B vaccine produced by the company, according to China Food and Drug Administration.
Two babies in Hunan province and another in Sichuan province died recently after being injected with the Biokangtai vaccine.
On Friday, the administration and the National Health and Family Planning Commission asked all hospitals to stop using the vaccine produced by Biokangtai, and said it will investigate the cause of the deaths and examine the company's products.
A baby boy in Shenzhen died on Tuesday after being inoculated with hepatitis B vaccine produced by Biokangtai, a local pharmaceutical company.
His death was the fourth such recently after babies were inoculated with the hepatitis B vaccine produced by the company, according to China Food and Drug Administration.
Two babies in Hunan province and another in Sichuan province died recently after being injected with the Biokangtai vaccine.
On Friday, the administration and the National Health and Family Planning Commission asked all hospitals to stop using the vaccine produced by Biokangtai, and said it will investigate the cause of the deaths and examine the company's products.
Monday, 23 December 2013
"Orderly hospitals" campaign requires security and dispute resolution policies for all hospitals
by Michael Woodhead
Chinese health and security authorities have launched a comprehensive hospital safety and security campaign that will require all hospitals to provide security guards, surveillance systems, mediation services and adverse event investigation and complaint resolution processes.
The campaign is in response to an increasing number of medical disputes between unhappy patients, families and hospitals that have led to fights, attacks on medical staff and riots.
An action plan, issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Ministry of Public Security (PSB) and nine other central departments at the beginning of December, aims at improving medical order and cracking down on crimes related to medical workers and hospitals.
The plan requires the PSB to implement policies to investigate and crack down on criminal acts against hospital and medical staff. This will include ensuring that security staff are on duty in all hospitals at level two (county level) and above and that a security report desk is installed in all such hospitals. The plan also requires major hospitals to have video surveillance systems covering all areas, an emergency response and co-ordinating centre and reporting system to local police. Level 2 hospitals and above will be required to set up a police report desk in the hospital.
Hospital are also required to set up dispute resolution and mediation centres for the public and timely complaint and appeal processes for people with grievances.
Hospitals and public security are also to clamp down on "professional" fake protester and troublemakers hired by patients to blackmail and intimidate hospital staff.
Chinese health and security authorities have launched a comprehensive hospital safety and security campaign that will require all hospitals to provide security guards, surveillance systems, mediation services and adverse event investigation and complaint resolution processes.
The campaign is in response to an increasing number of medical disputes between unhappy patients, families and hospitals that have led to fights, attacks on medical staff and riots.
An action plan, issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Ministry of Public Security (PSB) and nine other central departments at the beginning of December, aims at improving medical order and cracking down on crimes related to medical workers and hospitals.
The plan requires the PSB to implement policies to investigate and crack down on criminal acts against hospital and medical staff. This will include ensuring that security staff are on duty in all hospitals at level two (county level) and above and that a security report desk is installed in all such hospitals. The plan also requires major hospitals to have video surveillance systems covering all areas, an emergency response and co-ordinating centre and reporting system to local police. Level 2 hospitals and above will be required to set up a police report desk in the hospital.
Hospital are also required to set up dispute resolution and mediation centres for the public and timely complaint and appeal processes for people with grievances.
Hospitals and public security are also to clamp down on "professional" fake protester and troublemakers hired by patients to blackmail and intimidate hospital staff.
More details released on hepatitis B vaccine deaths and recall
An infant who became sick just minutes after a hepatitis B vaccination and died an hour later may be the fourth victim of vaccines produced by China’s largest hepatitis B vaccine supplier in the southern city of Shenzhen.
The deaths have triggered a nationwide suspension.
An official investigation is underway, while Biokangtai has not said where vaccines from the same batch as the Shenzhen baby received may have been sold.
Last Tuesday, the boy, born at 10:31am and apparently healthy, was given a vaccination six minutes later. At 10:39am, his face turned blue, his cries became faint and his breathing became rapid due to a lack of oxygen, Dr Yang Jinmin at the Nanwan People’s Hospital in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, said.
The deaths have triggered a nationwide suspension.
An official investigation is underway, while Biokangtai has not said where vaccines from the same batch as the Shenzhen baby received may have been sold.
Last Tuesday, the boy, born at 10:31am and apparently healthy, was given a vaccination six minutes later. At 10:39am, his face turned blue, his cries became faint and his breathing became rapid due to a lack of oxygen, Dr Yang Jinmin at the Nanwan People’s Hospital in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, said.
China can mass produce avian flu vaccines says Zhong Nanshan
by San Juan
China is able to mass-produce bird flu vaccines for people, a top Chinese scientist said on Sunday. Zhong Nanshan, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases, made the remark at a Guangdong provincial government news conference.
"Once the H7N9 bird flu virus begins to infect many more people, is found spreading among humans, China will mass-produce the vaccine to help halt the virus' spread," he said. "China now has the ability since researchers have developed a vaccine virus strain of H7N9 avian influenza virus."
The vaccine was jointly developed by several institutions, including the First Affiliated Hospital to Zhejiang University's School of Medicine, Hong Kong University, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Food and Drug Control and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Shu Yuelong, director of the Chinese National Influenza Center, said it was the first domestically produced influenza vaccine virus strain.
"China could share the vaccine strain with other countries through the World Health Organization to aid in H7N9 epidemic control across the world," he said.
China is able to mass-produce bird flu vaccines for people, a top Chinese scientist said on Sunday. Zhong Nanshan, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases, made the remark at a Guangdong provincial government news conference.
"Once the H7N9 bird flu virus begins to infect many more people, is found spreading among humans, China will mass-produce the vaccine to help halt the virus' spread," he said. "China now has the ability since researchers have developed a vaccine virus strain of H7N9 avian influenza virus."
The vaccine was jointly developed by several institutions, including the First Affiliated Hospital to Zhejiang University's School of Medicine, Hong Kong University, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Food and Drug Control and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Shu Yuelong, director of the Chinese National Influenza Center, said it was the first domestically produced influenza vaccine virus strain.
"China could share the vaccine strain with other countries through the World Health Organization to aid in H7N9 epidemic control across the world," he said.
H5N2 influenza outbreak in Hebei
Areas within 3 km of a farm in north China's Hebei Province, the site of an H5N2 bird flu outbreak in poultry, were confirmed to have been sealed off, according to local government.
The disease killed 4,000 chickens raised at the farm in Baoding City after they showed symptoms of suspected avian flu on Dec. 17, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory on Saturday confirmed the epidemic was caused by the H5N2 avian influenza virus after testing samples collected at the farm.
Local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where a total of 125,700 chickens have been culled and safely disposed of to prevent the disease from spreading.
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally only infect birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans.
Earlier this week, four new human cases of H7N9 bird flu were confirmed in south China's Guangdong Province.
Jiangxi Province also confirmed a human case of H10N8, a new strain of bird flu, on Wednesday.
Source: CRI
The disease killed 4,000 chickens raised at the farm in Baoding City after they showed symptoms of suspected avian flu on Dec. 17, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory on Saturday confirmed the epidemic was caused by the H5N2 avian influenza virus after testing samples collected at the farm.
Local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where a total of 125,700 chickens have been culled and safely disposed of to prevent the disease from spreading.
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally only infect birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans.
Earlier this week, four new human cases of H7N9 bird flu were confirmed in south China's Guangdong Province.
Jiangxi Province also confirmed a human case of H10N8, a new strain of bird flu, on Wednesday.
Source: CRI
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Shenzhen Kangtai Hepatitis B vaccine withdrawn after four infant deaths
by Michael Woodhead
The China Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has suspended the use of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine for children manufactured by Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products (Shenzen Kangtai Shengwu Zhipin, 深圳康泰生物制品股份有限公司) after the four deaths were reported among children who received the vaccine. According to an announcement by the SFDA on 20 Dec, the four deaths were reported following vacination with batches of the company's vaccine in Hunan, Guangdong and Sichuan. The SFDA says an investigation into the cause of death is still underway and until the results of this investigation are available, the use of all batches of the vaccine is being suspended immediately, in the interests of child safety and safety of the infant vaccination program.
The China Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has suspended the use of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine for children manufactured by Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products (Shenzen Kangtai Shengwu Zhipin, 深圳康泰生物制品股份有限公司) after the four deaths were reported among children who received the vaccine. According to an announcement by the SFDA on 20 Dec, the four deaths were reported following vacination with batches of the company's vaccine in Hunan, Guangdong and Sichuan. The SFDA says an investigation into the cause of death is still underway and until the results of this investigation are available, the use of all batches of the vaccine is being suspended immediately, in the interests of child safety and safety of the infant vaccination program.
Dermatologist warns of dangers from China's latest craze for breast milk soap
With people's support for breast milk running high, soaps made of breast milk have become hot sellers on Taobao, China's online store, the Nanning Evening News reported.
Such soaps are generally produced by sellers who are also mothers of newborn babies. Li Zhen is one of them.
It is a waste to dump surplus breast milk every day, which has a short shelf life, she said. She decided to make it into soaps and put some on Taobao for sale.
With her side business, Li has jumped on a popular trend. A Taobao keyword search for "breast milk soap" yields more than 3,000 results, with prices ranging from 10 yuan ($1.60) to 58 yuan ($9.30). One store sold nearly 1,000 items in a month.
Some sellers claim that the soaps, with no chemical additives, adapt to all types of skin and can be used on babies. Praise and satisfaction abounded in the customer comments.
However, Xie Fangming, a dermatologist in Nanjing, said breast milk, like saliva and blood, can transmit disease if the moms are not healthy, and what's more, breast milk can easily be contaminated with bacteria and germs.
Source: Beijing Daily
Such soaps are generally produced by sellers who are also mothers of newborn babies. Li Zhen is one of them.
It is a waste to dump surplus breast milk every day, which has a short shelf life, she said. She decided to make it into soaps and put some on Taobao for sale.
With her side business, Li has jumped on a popular trend. A Taobao keyword search for "breast milk soap" yields more than 3,000 results, with prices ranging from 10 yuan ($1.60) to 58 yuan ($9.30). One store sold nearly 1,000 items in a month.
Some sellers claim that the soaps, with no chemical additives, adapt to all types of skin and can be used on babies. Praise and satisfaction abounded in the customer comments.
However, Xie Fangming, a dermatologist in Nanjing, said breast milk, like saliva and blood, can transmit disease if the moms are not healthy, and what's more, breast milk can easily be contaminated with bacteria and germs.
Source: Beijing Daily
Four new cases of H7N9 in Guangdong
Health authorities in south China's Guangdong Province are on high alert against H7N9 bird flu after four new human cases were confirmed this week.
From Sunday to Thursday, the province confirmed four new cases -- two in Yangjiang City, one in Dongguan and one in Shenzhen, raising the total cases in the province to six. The newly confirmed four are all in a critical condition.
"According to expert assessments, Guangdong faces an extremely high risk of sporadic human H7N9 infections this winter and next spring," said Zhang Yonghui, head of the provincial center for disease control and prevention.
The cases may occur at any time across the province and the Zhujiang River Delta region deserves special attention," Zhang added.
From Sunday to Thursday, the province confirmed four new cases -- two in Yangjiang City, one in Dongguan and one in Shenzhen, raising the total cases in the province to six. The newly confirmed four are all in a critical condition.
"According to expert assessments, Guangdong faces an extremely high risk of sporadic human H7N9 infections this winter and next spring," said Zhang Yonghui, head of the provincial center for disease control and prevention.
The cases may occur at any time across the province and the Zhujiang River Delta region deserves special attention," Zhang added.
Cellist promotes maternal and child health in NW China
Trey Lee, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF ambassador and world-renowned cellist, shared with the media in Beijing on December 19, 2013, the details of his recent visit to remote Xunhua County in northwest China's Qinghai Province to promote UNICEF's work with the National Health and Family Planning Commission to improve maternal and child health and nutrition.
Lee also talked about playing music with the migrant children from Changxindian Central Primary School in Beijing and his experiences in Qinghai, including moving stories about a female village doctor and a boy suffering from cerebral palsy.
Lee also talked about playing music with the migrant children from Changxindian Central Primary School in Beijing and his experiences in Qinghai, including moving stories about a female village doctor and a boy suffering from cerebral palsy.
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Fujian raises cost of medical treatment
The Fujian Provincial Bureau of Commodity Price and Fujian Provincial
Health and Family Planning Commission said on Nov 18 that it will
adjust the costs of medical services - including emergency services –
from Dec 15.
The commission decided to raise the prices of emergency treatments due to increasing costs - such as those involving operating ambulances - in recent years. The fee for transport by ambulance has been increased from 25 yuan（$4.12）to 35 yuan, and use of a stretcher will cost another 30 yuan,and psychologist will cost another 100 yuan.
The fee for a consultation with a doctor has also increased - a consultation with any doctor up to the grade of supervisor now costs 15 yuan, and a consultation with an associate professor of medicine and above will cost 20 yuan.
The new prices cover a wide range of treatments, including in the fields of neurosurgery, radiotherapy and physiotherapy.
Source: China Daily
The commission decided to raise the prices of emergency treatments due to increasing costs - such as those involving operating ambulances - in recent years. The fee for transport by ambulance has been increased from 25 yuan（$4.12）to 35 yuan, and use of a stretcher will cost another 30 yuan,and psychologist will cost another 100 yuan.
The fee for a consultation with a doctor has also increased - a consultation with any doctor up to the grade of supervisor now costs 15 yuan, and a consultation with an associate professor of medicine and above will cost 20 yuan.
The new prices cover a wide range of treatments, including in the fields of neurosurgery, radiotherapy and physiotherapy.
Source: China Daily
PLA leads the way on telemedicine in China
Medical experts of the General Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held a joint consultation with the medical workers on the “Peace Ark” hospital ship of the PLA Navy, which is on the mission of treating typhoon victims in the Philippines, and offered diagnosis and treatment plans for victims via a telemedicine system on December 6, 2013.
The success of the joint consultation marks that the PLA has had the capability of holding ultra-long-distance medical consultations overseas and long-distance medical consultations during maritime mobile operations, an expert said. The PLA General Hospital is China’s first hospital to offer telemedicine service.
The success of the joint consultation marks that the PLA has had the capability of holding ultra-long-distance medical consultations overseas and long-distance medical consultations during maritime mobile operations, an expert said. The PLA General Hospital is China’s first hospital to offer telemedicine service.
China's healthcare system to open up to private sector
The State Council, in a document for promoting the health service industry published on October 14, called for stepping up supply and fuelling demand, and to these ends proposed a series of initiatives. The document defines the health service industry as medical services, health management and promotion, health insurance and related support services, and the pharmaceutical, medical equipment, health supplies, health food, health products and other associated industries. A key emphasis in the document is the promotion of health management and physical fitness. Normally, people in China only take care of health and visit hospital when they are ill, and there is a lack of awareness of health care and rehabilitation before and after sickness.
No takers for Shanghai's 100,000 empty nursing home beds
Shanghai has 105,000 vacant beds, yet more than a third are in care centers on the city's outskirts, according to the city's civil affairs bureau.
Shen Guoming, a member of the Standing Committee of Shanghai People's Congress, said that many elderly people are unwilling to stay in these areas due to the inconvenient locations and inadequate support facilities, such as medical clinics.
Shen, who is also vice-chairperson of the Shanghai Social Sciences Association, made the comments during a seminar on draft regulations for the service and management of nursing homes.
Shen Guoming, a member of the Standing Committee of Shanghai People's Congress, said that many elderly people are unwilling to stay in these areas due to the inconvenient locations and inadequate support facilities, such as medical clinics.
Shen, who is also vice-chairperson of the Shanghai Social Sciences Association, made the comments during a seminar on draft regulations for the service and management of nursing homes.
Ex-official at health commission arrested over bribery
The former vice director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning has been arrested for accepting bribes in his previous position at a local hospital, local media reported Thursday. The Shanghai Municipal Prosecutor's Office announced Wednesday that it has signed off on the arrest of the former official, Huang Fengping. Huang, 48, has been under investigation since September on suspicion that he accepted bribes related to procurement when he worked at the Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, according to a report in the 21st Century Business Herald.
Several sources familiar with the case said that the arrest was likely connected to a bribery case involving the multinational drug company GlaxoSmithKline, according to the report. They also said that several of Huang's close relatives worked for the company.
Huang's name has been removed from several official websites, the report said.
His last public appearance was at an event on September 13 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a medical aid program that sends physicians overseas.
Huang was a well-known neurosurgeon who earned a postdoctoral degree in neurosurgery from the University of Michigan in 2000. He went to work at Huashan Hospital after he returned to China.
He became the health commission's vice director in May 2012.
Source: ECNS
Several sources familiar with the case said that the arrest was likely connected to a bribery case involving the multinational drug company GlaxoSmithKline, according to the report. They also said that several of Huang's close relatives worked for the company.
Huang's name has been removed from several official websites, the report said.
His last public appearance was at an event on September 13 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a medical aid program that sends physicians overseas.
Huang was a well-known neurosurgeon who earned a postdoctoral degree in neurosurgery from the University of Michigan in 2000. He went to work at Huashan Hospital after he returned to China.
He became the health commission's vice director in May 2012.
Source: ECNS
Friday, 20 December 2013
Medications the most comon cause of poisoning in Shanghai
by Michael Woodhead
Overdoses of medications such as sedatives and OTC cough remedies are the most common reasons for people needing treating for acute poisoning in Shanghai hospitals, a study has shown.
A review by forensic scientists of 230 cases of acute poisoning treated at Shanghai hospitals found that the most frequent substances leading to acute poisoning were sedative-hypnotic drugs, antipsychotic drugs, antiepileptics, cough suppressants, analgesics, antidiarrheals, and histamine receptor antagonists. Other common reasons for poisoning were ingestion of pesticides, volatile compounds, and natural toxins. Overall, medications accounted for 48% of female poisonings and 40% of male poisonings.
The researchers aid it was interesting that pesticide ingestion accounted for only 17% of all acute poisonings, which was a figure lower than for less developed parts of China. Also of interest was the very low rate of acute alcohol poisoning, which only accounted for two cases (1% of total poisonings). The researchers said this might be because alcohol poisoning was easily recognised and often self treated.
"In conclusion, the pattern of acute poisonings in Shanghai is similar to that of Japan and some European countries in that acute poisonings are mainly due to medications," the study authors wrote.
"Therefore, the relevant government departments should develop more publicity, education, and management strategies for the rational and safe use of medications. In addition, Shanghai should establish more counseling agencies and websites to address the mental problems of the public that have been brought about by rapid economic development."
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences
Overdoses of medications such as sedatives and OTC cough remedies are the most common reasons for people needing treating for acute poisoning in Shanghai hospitals, a study has shown.
A review by forensic scientists of 230 cases of acute poisoning treated at Shanghai hospitals found that the most frequent substances leading to acute poisoning were sedative-hypnotic drugs, antipsychotic drugs, antiepileptics, cough suppressants, analgesics, antidiarrheals, and histamine receptor antagonists. Other common reasons for poisoning were ingestion of pesticides, volatile compounds, and natural toxins. Overall, medications accounted for 48% of female poisonings and 40% of male poisonings.
The researchers aid it was interesting that pesticide ingestion accounted for only 17% of all acute poisonings, which was a figure lower than for less developed parts of China. Also of interest was the very low rate of acute alcohol poisoning, which only accounted for two cases (1% of total poisonings). The researchers said this might be because alcohol poisoning was easily recognised and often self treated.
"In conclusion, the pattern of acute poisonings in Shanghai is similar to that of Japan and some European countries in that acute poisonings are mainly due to medications," the study authors wrote.
"Therefore, the relevant government departments should develop more publicity, education, and management strategies for the rational and safe use of medications. In addition, Shanghai should establish more counseling agencies and websites to address the mental problems of the public that have been brought about by rapid economic development."
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences
Health minister leads crackdown on illegal medical practices in Hebei
An inspection team for the national special operation of further enforcing medical service regulations and striking out illegal medical practices came to Hebei Province on December 12 for a two-day inspection mission. It was led by Mr. Chen Xiaohong, Vice Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, and attended by concerned responsible officials of the Ministry of Public Security, China Food and Drug Administration as well as experts from Health Supervision Stations of Tianjin, Jiangxi and Jiangsu.
The inspection team listened to reports on progress of the national special operation and the special examination on radiological diagnosis and radiotherapy in Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang City, Langfang City and some other districts and counties. It also conducted field inspections at 14 randomly selected units in Shijiazhuang and Langfang cities, including healthcare institutions, family planning service delivery centers, life cosmetology shops and drug stores. The team assessed the performance of these units through distributing a questionnaire to people on the spot. Problems found during the inspection activity were fed back to concerned departments.
Source: NPFPC
The inspection team listened to reports on progress of the national special operation and the special examination on radiological diagnosis and radiotherapy in Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang City, Langfang City and some other districts and counties. It also conducted field inspections at 14 randomly selected units in Shijiazhuang and Langfang cities, including healthcare institutions, family planning service delivery centers, life cosmetology shops and drug stores. The team assessed the performance of these units through distributing a questionnaire to people on the spot. Problems found during the inspection activity were fed back to concerned departments.
Source: NPFPC
Hospitals launch second child clinics to deal with new family planning policy
by Hu Qingyun
After striving to get up at 4 am, and starting to queue at 6:30 am in the hospital hall, Wang Juan and her husband finally secured an appointment at 10 am with a famous obstetrician at a clinic specializing in second children in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
The obstetrician asked thoroughly about Wang's health, including whether, like the majority of Chinese mothers, she gave birth to her first child through a Caesarean.
In a latest decision, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee allowed couples to have a second child as long as either the husband or the wife is from a one-child family. Previously, the policy required both to be single children.
The easing of the family planning policy delights but also worries Wang, who unlike her husband is an only child. She is the mother of a 3-year-old girl but now yearns for a second child.
"I'm 38 now. I have to consult obstetricians on whether it's OK to do so," said Wang, a white-collar employee in Hangzhou.
After striving to get up at 4 am, and starting to queue at 6:30 am in the hospital hall, Wang Juan and her husband finally secured an appointment at 10 am with a famous obstetrician at a clinic specializing in second children in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
The obstetrician asked thoroughly about Wang's health, including whether, like the majority of Chinese mothers, she gave birth to her first child through a Caesarean.
In a latest decision, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee allowed couples to have a second child as long as either the husband or the wife is from a one-child family. Previously, the policy required both to be single children.
The easing of the family planning policy delights but also worries Wang, who unlike her husband is an only child. She is the mother of a 3-year-old girl but now yearns for a second child.
"I'm 38 now. I have to consult obstetricians on whether it's OK to do so," said Wang, a white-collar employee in Hangzhou.
Thursday, 19 December 2013
Jiangxi woman is first human to die from H10N8 flu
by Gillian Wong
Chinese authorities said Wednesday that a 73-year-old Chinese woman died after being infected with a bird flu strain that had sickened a human for the first time, a development that the World Health Organization called “worrisome.”
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the woman in the city of Nanchang had been infected by the H10N8 bird flu virus, a strain that had not previously been found in people, the Jiangxi province health department said on its website.
This is the second new bird flu strain to emerge in humans this year in China. In late March, the H7N9 bird flu virus broke out, infecting 140 people and killing 45, almost all of them on the mainland. The outbreak was controlled after the country closed many of its live animal markets — scientists had assumed the virus was infecting people through exposure to live birds.
Timothy O’Leary, spokesman for the World Health Organization’s regional office in Manila, said WHO officials were working closely with Chinese authorities to better understand the new virus. He said though its source remains unknown, birds are known to carry it and it would not be surprising if another human case was detected.
Chinese authorities said Wednesday that a 73-year-old Chinese woman died after being infected with a bird flu strain that had sickened a human for the first time, a development that the World Health Organization called “worrisome.”
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the woman in the city of Nanchang had been infected by the H10N8 bird flu virus, a strain that had not previously been found in people, the Jiangxi province health department said on its website.
This is the second new bird flu strain to emerge in humans this year in China. In late March, the H7N9 bird flu virus broke out, infecting 140 people and killing 45, almost all of them on the mainland. The outbreak was controlled after the country closed many of its live animal markets — scientists had assumed the virus was infecting people through exposure to live birds.
Timothy O’Leary, spokesman for the World Health Organization’s regional office in Manila, said WHO officials were working closely with Chinese authorities to better understand the new virus. He said though its source remains unknown, birds are known to carry it and it would not be surprising if another human case was detected.
Illegal clinics thrive in downtown Beijing
Many illegal clinics are flourishing in Daxing district, the suburban area nearest Beijing's downtown core. Because of convenient transportation and cheaper rents, the region has become the top choice of low-income migrants, the Beijing Daily reported.
As more people settle there, the need for medical services has increased. Most of the hospitals and clinics that have sprung up to meet the demand are unlicensed, but residents are willing to overlook their illegal status because the services are inexpensive, the doctors make house calls, and no registration fee is required. Between 2007 and 2013, the Daxing Procuratorate has tried 31 cases of practicing medicine without a license, a record-breaking number.
Source: Global Times
As more people settle there, the need for medical services has increased. Most of the hospitals and clinics that have sprung up to meet the demand are unlicensed, but residents are willing to overlook their illegal status because the services are inexpensive, the doctors make house calls, and no registration fee is required. Between 2007 and 2013, the Daxing Procuratorate has tried 31 cases of practicing medicine without a license, a record-breaking number.
Source: Global Times
2000-year old clinical guidelines written on bamboo, found in Chengdu
Chillies for a headache and a bull's urine for jaundice: These are the latest deciphered messages of how Chinese people two millennia ago cured themselves, and their horses.
The 920 medical bamboo slips, together with other historical relics of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC- 9 AD), were found in a subway construction site in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
A total of 184 bamboo slips are said to be the "guidebook" for horse vets. The remaining 736 can be categorized into nine separate medical texts covering various domains.
According to Xie Tao, a research fellow with Chengdu's archaeology institute, the books could be lost medical classics written by the successors of Bian Que, a medical pioneer from the 5th century B.C.
Two characters in one of the books have the same pronunciation as Bian Que, though in different written forms, said Wu Jiabi, of a bamboo script research institute in neighboring Hubei Province.
Bian Que was said to have invented the technique of taking the pulse and narcosis. He perhaps performed the world's earliest organ transplant, as recorded in Lie Zi, an important classic of Taoism.
The bamboo slips did not contain any sorcery, believed to indicate the separation of medicine and witchcraft and the budding of medical science.
Source: China Daily
The 920 medical bamboo slips, together with other historical relics of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC- 9 AD), were found in a subway construction site in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
A total of 184 bamboo slips are said to be the "guidebook" for horse vets. The remaining 736 can be categorized into nine separate medical texts covering various domains.
According to Xie Tao, a research fellow with Chengdu's archaeology institute, the books could be lost medical classics written by the successors of Bian Que, a medical pioneer from the 5th century B.C.
Two characters in one of the books have the same pronunciation as Bian Que, though in different written forms, said Wu Jiabi, of a bamboo script research institute in neighboring Hubei Province.
Bian Que was said to have invented the technique of taking the pulse and narcosis. He perhaps performed the world's earliest organ transplant, as recorded in Lie Zi, an important classic of Taoism.
The bamboo slips did not contain any sorcery, believed to indicate the separation of medicine and witchcraft and the budding of medical science.
Source: China Daily
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