Beijing to fund seriously ill homeless people
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-18 09:44
The Beijing local government will fund the medical treatment of homeless
people who are in a critical condition and encourage hospitals to accept these
patients without charging deposits, according to the Beijing municipal
government.
This is another attempt by the local government to provide
social and medical assistance to the homeless, according to the local Beijing
Times.
"As the government starts to cover the costs, homeless patients
can receive timely treatment as hospitals no longer have to worry about losing
profits," said Chen Yawei, publicity director with China Rehabilitation Research
Center.
Beijing had set up 19 homeless shelters by 2005, providing food,
shelter and medical treatment.
China had set up over 1,000 shelters in
major cities by the end of last year to offer assistance to 820,000 homeless
people, helping them contact family members and buying them free bus tickets to
return home, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. (For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
|
