Chinese children die due to lack of medical care

BEIJING, Mar 8 (Reuters) About 400,000 toddlers die every year in China mainly because of a lack of medical care, a member of a government advisory group said, urging greater investment in the health system.

''Most of the deaths happen in rural areas, as about 50 percent of them do not receive any medical treatment at all there,'' Zhu Zonghan, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference said yesterday.

''They just die at home or on their way to far-off hospitals,'' he added, refering to children under the age of five.

China has been grappling with an acknowledged rise in public dissatisfaction over the state of the country's medical system, which once provided almost free, cradle-to-grave care.

People have complained about everything from overly expensive medication to crowded hospitals and fake drugs.

Zhu estimated that the lives of 240,000 children could be saved if the government spent an extra 26 billion yuan (.36 billion) a year.

The government's spending on health accounted for 3.4 per cent of its overall expenditure in 2006, but that figure would climb by only 0.1 per cent to 3.5 this year, he told a meeting on the sidelines of China's annual meeting of parliament.

He labelled such an increase ''useless''.

''If you have money you live. If you don't, you are left to die,'' Zhu said, speaking about about the disparity in health care between China's rich and poor.

''I suggest the government decide upon a fixed ratio for medical care investment, and the figure should reach ten per cent (of total expenditure) in five to ten years time,'' said Zhu, a former head of beijing's health bureau said.

REUTERS BDP VC0833