Red China Health Turmoil Could Trigger Political Crisis

The SARS epidemic has turned the spotlight on the severe turmoil of Communist China's healthcare system, reports the Washington Post. The country's socialist health care system has collapsed. In its place has emerged a ruthless medical system that benefits the rich and generally hurts the poor. The changes, officials say, are frustrating Red China's ability to fight SARS, with concerns that treatment would not be readily available for poor people in many parts of Red China. The World Health Organization warns that China may not be able to deal with the SARS epidemic.

Many Chinese believe that despite Beijing's promise of free care for SARS patients, hospitals will demand payment anyway. Health care costs in Red China have risen so quickly that many rural residents do not even bother going to the doctor anymore. Yang Fan, a Communist Chinese economist, said he believes "medical morality" has declined sharply. "There are more and more cases of physicians refusing to save lives if they don't first get a deposit."

Another problem complicating the treatment of SARS victims in Red China is the massive misuse of antibiotics across the country, which has weakened the immune systems of many people. Antibiotics are available over the counter in most pharmacies in major cities, and urban dwellers will take a few at the slightest symptom of a cold. The problem is so serious that the incidence of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis in Communist China is one of the highest in the world, says the WHO.

Red China's new leaders are struggling to counter a growing political crisis over the official handling of the SARS outbreak, reports the Far Eastern Economic Review. At the center of the controversy is the government cover-up of the emerging health crisis. On February 8, Guangdong province reported a health emergency to the party leadership and State Council in Beijing. But the public was not informed.

On February 11, meanwhile, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang, instructed the Guangdong Public Security Bureau to step up police patrols, station officers outside supermarkets to restrain panic buying of medicine, "strengthen supervision and control of harmful information on-line, and prevent dissemination of rumors in a timely way." They also asked officials from major web sites in Guangdong to "strengthen self-discipline" - the Red Chinese term for self-censorship - and ensure that "positive news" was given about the outbreak. Beijing did not admit to having any SARS cases until March 26, when 10 cases were revealed. After that, official numbers rose only incrementally, even as rumors of many more cases swept the city.

On April 21, the government dramatically revealed 405 SARS cases in city hospitals, a ten-fold increase from previous figures. Health Minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong became the highest profile officials sacked in the crisis. Many in Beijing question why the mayor was cashiered, rather than the city's more powerful and more visible Communist Party Secretary Liu Qi - a member of the party's 24-strong Politburo. The Party leadership has contained findings of negligence to officials below the Politburo level.

I wonder if there is any truth to the rumor that SARS is actually a bioweapon that was released by accident. I wonder if there is any way to, if not prove this, at least find some indication of its source. Now wouldn't THAT make things uncomfortable for the communists if it were commonly believed that SARS is a bioweapon. Or perhaps it will be discovered that a powerful "bioweapon" is the misuse of anitbiotics. It sounds like there is the potential for all sorts of diseases to mutate and become resistant to drugs if people abuse antibiotics every time they sneeze.

Let's call it what it is: ASIAN FLU.

Oh, no, can't do that. It would not be PC.

yitbos

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