The public should be consulted on the reform of the medical
security system, says an article in China Business Times.
The following is an excerpt:
The National Development and Reform Commission recently revealed
on its website that a draft version of a plan to reform China's
medical system had been drawn up. The commission wrote that it
would further improve the plan and present it to the State Council
for final approval by the end of the year.
While the World Health Organization, as well as many
universities and overseas institutions have helped with the draft,
it has not yet been released to the public here. There is no
procedure for public participation in the process, even though it
involves an issue that affects the lives of the Chinese people. The
government departments concerned have also remained silent.
The public opinion should be considered since the reform plan
concerns public services. Public participation should be a key part
of the decision-making in any modern society. But in this case, the
public has no way of knowing the specific content of or the
differences between the eight draft plans that have been submitted
by different organizations.
Public participation in administrative decision-making may
increase administrative costs. But looked at from another angle,
public participation will bring any reform moves in line with the
public will. It will also lead to more efficiency and a better
foundation for the implementation of policies.
Without democratic participation in administrative
decision-making, implementation will suffer. It is improper to make
a medical reform plan without soliciting public opinions.
(China Daily August 28, 2007)