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Please save the Chinese asthma patients
Jul 08, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
I am an asthma patient, without income, and not covered by the healthcare system. The asthma flare-up can lead to death within minutes, even seconds. Only the quick relief inhaler could save life in many cases.
During the Beijing Olympics I could not buy the inhaler from the street pharmacy from where I could have bought it in the past. I have no money for paying extra fees for going to the hospital for prescription.
I suffer half death. Only God relieves me by my prayers. Some other asthma patients experience flare-up at home. A family member went to the nearby street pharmacy but was not allowed to buy the inhaler. The patient died at home and officially nobody was responsible for his death.
The event happened because the street pharmacy is prevented from selling the life saving inhaler to the asthma patients. This is because the Chinese government has offered to support the world sports line by declaring that it is following the world organization of sports against stimulants.
For the record, the Chinese government does not enhance the education of athletes, does not improve the athletes testing, but utilizes the opportunity of world sports in China to block the street pharmacy from selling asthma relief drugs to the patients who must now drive to hospital for prescription to buy the drugs.
This increases the hospital income and boosts the government maintained healthcare funds.
There are a great number of Chinese not covered by the healthcare system. The system does not freely cover those without income—those who are unemployed. The asthma patients from the lower class are forced to pay double, triple, even five or ten times the cost of the same drugs thus unwittingly contributing to the Chinese government coffers. The 14th FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS will be held in Shanghai China in July 16 – 31, 2011. The Chinese government once again has revoked the rights of the Chinese asthma patients who cannot now access the inhaler from the street stores.
I could not buy the inhaler from the street pharmacy before the Olympics but I could have bought it after Beijing Olympics. It is the same thing now. The polluted air in China, the dust in the air makes me flare-up easy and often. I am sincerely asking every democratic country, every democracy seeker, every athlete to ask the Chinese government to give back the rights to the asthma patients. Through your kindness you would be saving the life of the Chinese asthma patients.
Jianwei Sun
Editor’s note: We could not test the authenticity of the name of the writer but the charges are accurate.
The Chinese Government has banned all stimulants at this time.
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