Ren Hong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, speaks at the fourth plenary meeting of the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing on March 11. [Photo/Xinhua]

Medical care and health are major issues concerning people's lives and also continuously hot topics in society. With aging of the country's population, malignant tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and major infectious diseases, with relatively high morbidity and mortality rates, have become the three main illnesses that threaten people's health. According to the latest national cancer report released in 2018, cumulative incidences of tumors among people aged from birth to 74 years old is 21.58 percent; patients of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases increase year by year, badly threatening life of middle-aged and aged people; and as for infectious diseases, hepatitis B surface antigen of 86 million people is positive and 10 million people are infected with the hepatitis C virus. More than 300,000 people die each year from liver cancer caused by hepatitis. 

The diseases not only strongly reduce the general public's quality of life but also easily cause people in impoverished areas to fall deeper into poverty, creating a big problem for poverty alleviation.

Though the medical field has made breakthroughs in treatment of tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and viral hepatitis in recent years, many types of malignant tumor have become long-lived chronic diseases. Therapeutic drugs are generally expensive and most of them are imported.

Those who have a glimmer of hope for a cure yet have to continue in exhaustion as they cannot afford the medicine know the real despair. 

The CPC Central Committee is always concerned with the quality of life of the general public. 

A series of remedies, like a boxing combination, was offered in the fight against critical illnesses in the past year. Powerful measures were taken to widen the public's access to medicine including 17 kinds of anti-cancer drugs and orphan drugs. Meanwhile, such measures as expediting improvement of cancer diagnosis and treatment, bringing new overseas drugs to the domestic market, exemption of tariffs on imported anti-cancer drugs and price reduction of anti-cancer medicine were put in place. 

Due to the policies and measures, prices of the 17 anti-cancer drugs declined 56.7 percent on average to a cost significantly lower than that in nearby countries and regions.

I know a patient who has suffered from lung cancer for three years. Previously, the patient mainly depended on conventional chemotherapy, with each course costing about 10,000 yuan ($1,458), and having many side effects. The patient now uses targeted drugs with reduced prices that are included in medical insurance, with good treatment effect and fewer side effects. 

Another patient discovered he had leukemia six years ago. Though he knew the best therapeutic regimen, the medicine cost 40,000 yuan per month, leaving him no choice but to have chemotherapy and transfusions to sustain life.

The price of his medicine has been greatly reduced and he needs to pay less than 3,000 yuan monthly, which gives him hope for long-term survival.

Cancer prophylaxis and treatment drugs are further guaranteed. Twelve kinds of new anti-tumor medicine urgently needed clinically have been included into the 2018 national essential drugs catalog. There have been 38 types of anti-tumor drugs, 10 of which are specifically targeted ones launched since the beginning of 2017. Some are even newly innovated medicines that have just been approved.

The Central Economic Work Conference held in late 2018 further emphasized "more good medicines that can save lives and meet urgent needs should be included in medical insurance". 

In this year's government work report, Premier Li Keqiang mapped out plans for further easing of medical burdens of patients who suffer from serious diseases and are in straitened circumstances and for implementing more cancer prophylaxis and treatment. It brought hope to patients and fully embodied the principles of the Communist Party of China of governing for the people and keeping promises.