CHINA LEX PHARMA LAW NEWSLETTER
Vol. 2 , No.11- April 05, 2001
TOPICS THIS ISSUE:
- China's Capital Provides Medical Insurance
- Hospital Drug Preparation GMP
- Foot-and-mouth Disease Vaccine Developed in China
- Online Degree in Chinese TCM Now Offered in Hong Kong
China's Capital Provides Medical Insurance
The city of Beijing implemented a medical insurance scheme for its six million residents on April 1, 2001. Although more than 200 cities in China have drafted medical insurance schemes, the reforms by the nation's capital are being closely watched by many who hope they will shed light on the crucial reforms which could fundamentally change the country's health-care system.
Under the new plan, Beijing reportedly will significantly reduce its share of medical bills under the new scheme and the amounts of insurance an individual can claim will be capped. Additionally, the scheme would cover all government and State-owned enterprise employees, private business owners and their workers and the self-employed.
Although official reports have stated that minorities and the poor would be treated favorably under the scheme, it is not clear if laid-off workers from State firms who had already severed their relationship with their employers would also be covered.
This is one segment of the population that needs coverage, for most State firms, which used to hire the majority of the country's urban workforce, can no longer provide health care for their employees.
The plan hopes to spread out risk and contain costs, for China's health care expenses have been growing as rapidly as in many industrial countries; in the 1990s, the State's medical expenses grew at about 12 to 18 per cent a year - much faster than the country's economic growth rates during the same period.
(Source: South China Morning Post)
Hospital Drug Preparation GMP
Many Chinese hospitals have their own drug preparation sections, but until recently, there was no governmental regulations governing this area. This gray area was made clear when the State Drug Administration (SDA) issued the Good Manufacturing Process for Medical Institution's Drug Preparation and Compound (GMP) on March 13, 2001.
The GMP serves as the cardinal principles of a medical institution's drug preparation and quality control, and covers the entire process for drug preparations and compounds. Under the GMP, the drug preparation sections of medical institutions must obtain the Permit for Drug Preparation at Medical Institutions from the provincial drug administration. Moreover, the drug preparation section, drug inspection section and quality control section within medical institutions must be separated from each other in terms of qualified staff and functions.
In addition, medical institutions should set forth the usage term as required by the drug administration and maintain a complete record of the distribution of preparations and drug compounds.
(Source: China Pharma News)
Foot-and-mouth Disease Vaccine Developed in China
Chinese scientists have developed a vaccine that reportedly can prevent pigs from catching foot-and- mouth disease (FMD).
The vaccine, developed by a group of scientists at the Shanghai-based Fudan University, the Shanghai Agricultural Science Academy, and a number of other prestigious research institutes after 18 years of research, is mainly made of proteins extracted from bacteria that have a strong immunity to disease.
Experts who evaluated the vaccine, the first of its kind in the world, said that the vaccine is highly safe and reliable, and that two vaccinations can keep a pig free from the disease for four to five months.
They predicted that the vaccine may be widely applied among livestock.
The vaccine has been patented, and the team has obtained the necessary license for mass production as well.
China has about 700 million pigs and 300 million head of cattle and sheep. The Ministry of Agriculture recently confirmed that the country is free of FMD.
(Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com)
Online Degree in Chinese TCM Now Offered in Hong Kong
HKCyberU, an online University in Hong Kong, has just launched a course that will allow participants to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The course is aimed at doctors and other health practitioners who are already practicing Western medicine but wish to complement their expertise with TCM.
It will likely take three to six years to complete the course, including 20 weeks of study at hospitals in China. The course will be run by experts in TCM from Beijing University.
The advent of the course represents a growing interest and belief in Chinese medicine in Hong Kong. Since 1998, two of Hong Kong's universities have begun offering Bachelor degree courses in Chinese medicine.
Last year, the Hong Kong government introduced new legislation aimed at regulating the TCM profession, which was often distrusted in the past due to lack of controls and methods of holding doctors accountable.
The law now requires newcomers to the profession to hold a degree and to register with the newly established Chinese Medicine Council.
(Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur)
Lehman Lee & Xu
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