Health Ministry Spokesman on Medical Reform 　　Urban medical insurance and medical care mechanism will experience a great change this year. What changes it will be brought about to people in daily life? Will the welfare of people of the common run be protected? Journalists from People's Daily made an interview with the spokesman of the Public Health Ministry. 　　Does it mean that hospitals will not sell medicine after medical care being separated from medicine accounting? 　　The separation of medical care from medicine accounting and management does not mean that hospitals will not sell medicine. It has already pointed out definitely by the State Council's Decision on Setting up a Basic Medical Insurance System for Urban Employees, a competition mechanism will be introduced in specially designated medical institutions and chemist's shops. Patients may choose pharmacy after diagnosis following their own will. Patients were also allowed to buy medicine at any drugstore as they like according to old practices. What is different is that following the new mechanism, the medical fees involved can be refunded from medical insurance in accordance with the doctor's subscription. At the same time, the hospitals may still have their own pharmacies responsible for medicine management, malicious medicine reaction observation and clinical medicine monitoring. Patients can buy medicine from these pharmacies. Clinical pharmacy is an important component to clinical treatment. It is unrealistic and impossible to close all chemists' shops in hospitals. Patients will be the end beneficiaries. 　　When will the package reform measures come into being? 　　Following a decision promulgated by the State Council on December 14, 1998, the reform has come to be introduced from January 1999 and will be fully implemented by the end of the year. 　　Will the "big subscription" by doctors be totally ruled out? 　　"Big subscription" phenomenon has its many causes. Some doctors give patients quantities of medicine proceeding from a motive of interest in addition to the poor level of their diagnosis skill. After the reform, diagnosis accounting and medicine accounting will be separated, their income will be turned over to higher coffers and then be paid back. The package measures will directly cut off the interest connection of doctor's "big subscription" with medicine sellers. Doctors and hospitals' income will not be tied up with subscription quantities. So, the first problem can be solved by the mechanism. But the second will depend on raise of doctors' level in diagnosis. 　　 HomeNews 1999-01-21 Page5 Full Story in Chinese