An unusual exposure of public anger is emerging in China over the quality of locally -produced drugs.
A renowned surgeon in Shanghai pointed to anesthesics that do not put patients in sleep. A respected heart disease in Beijing raised questions about blood pressure medicines that failed to regulate. A former editor of a leading online health platform accused domestic drug makers of fraud.
These concerns spread this week in public debates when some top doctors and hospital leaders demanded the government to change how they buy drugs for their government hospitals.
In a country where authorities have a strong grip on public criticism of the government, the investigation of the Beijing campaign to reduce medical spending. Officials are working to advance China’s national health care system, which is partly under financial pressure due to the aging population.
The policy, which was laid in 2018, Drug makers encourage severe competitiveness and have been able to drive fast in drug prices. But this year, foreign branded medicines were largely absent from the official list of medicines that are included under China’s National Health Insurance and were presented in government hospitals.
This change has effectively advancing many foreign pharmaceutical companies who do not want to compete against Chinese companies who are ready to sell their drugs at rock prices.
Now, doctors are alarming about the utility of some of the domestic drugs. Doctors want changes to give patients choose to pay for more costs.
“It has always been bad that manufacturers will cut corners,” said Helen Chen, a managing partner and health care specialist at Lake Consulting in Shanghai. “Now some public voices are saying that this is happening.”
After years of failure to reduce costs, the government created a central bidding system that is a supporter of cheap drugs, which is mostly made by Chinese companies. In return, the government guaranteed more purchases than every supplier.
China’s drug market accounts for about 70 percent in public hospitals. Patients using private clinic have easy access to extensive selection of medicines, including foreign brands.
According to recent official data available, the annual bidding system, known as the volume -based purchase, saved most of the drug price by half and Beijing saving more than $ 50 billion in its first five years Has
“The national shopping system keeps reducing prices,” said Zheng Minhwa, director of surgery and famous Rojin Hospital in Shanghai. Video interview Through a local government media outlet.
But, he added, “At such a low cost, the drug quality can be unreliable, citing numerous examples, including antibiotics, including allergies, blood pressure medicines that have not been reduced and blood pressure was not reduced and The flames who failed to do their job.
Dr. Xiang was among more than 20 doctors and members of the Communist Party, who made a proposal to the government this week that would allow patients to get real branded medicines even if it was not on the approved purchase list. The insurance compensation will be adjusted to whether the drug was from a original branded drug or common.
The head of cardiology at Beijing Chewing Hospital, Lu Changalin made a similar suggestion that doctors and patients should not be forced to use drugs in the purchase list.
The growing push of the medical community has been so strong that China’s National Health Care Security Security Administration, responsible for the National Medical Insurance, has spoken to doctors and checking clinical data for drugs for drugs. Departed
“There is no code that prohibits or purchases or use of imported and branded drugs.” Description This week
After public screams, some medical professionals have begun to examine the trials for some general medicines. In a post on social media, Zia Zahman, a doctor from the traditional Chinese medicine’s Hangzhou Hospital, compared the original drug cases with the same medicines in general and found many similarities. Cheating, Dr. Zia said.
“The number is exactly the same,” said Dr. Zia, a famous online forum for medical professionals, Ding Xiang Doctor.
“These are common medicines that have poor quality,” he said.
A Description On Friday, a unit of China’s National Medical Products Administration acknowledged the copied data, saying that “when relevant product information was revealed, the result was the result of amending the errors.”
This problem has affected the raw nerves when many people are feeling insecure from China’s real estate plight and consumer economy.
Meng Chang wrote, “If it’s not a lower line, I don’t know what is Journalist and host of a famous podcast, in a social media post that was later dropped.
Mr Meng wrote, “The majority of good doctors are in the public system.” But now, when you want to import drugs and surgery, you have to go to the private sector. “
Most Chinese families see doctors in the hospital when they are ill. National Medical Insurance, which varies from the province to the province, in general, about three -quarters of the cost of any drug, which is recommended.
On social media, some patients and doctors have said that the rise of ordinary brands in hospitals has made it difficult to find original foreign branded medicines like Baire’s Evilox Antibiotic Medicine.
A doctor from northeastern China shared a story about a person in his family needed a imported drug that is no longer available in public hospitals. But when he tried to contact a representative for the manufacturer, he was told that the drug was out of stock.
Dr. Lee criticized the government’s procurement system, saying that it has increased the increase of drugs that people do not want to use and very little alternatives.
“You say that medical insurance is ending and you cannot use it to buy imported medicines. I found it, “Dr. Lee wrote. But, he added, she was willing to do anything to secure imported medicine, even selling her home.
He wrote, “I am not in danger of turning into other alternatives with the fear that the medicine will not work and the condition will return.” “This includes the life of a family member.”
