Tianmu News:

The medical rehabilitation of disabled revolutionary servicemen and ex-servicemen has always been a great concern to all. Could you please give us a brief introduction to the current construction, reform, and development of hospitals for entitled groups? Thank you.

Ma Feixiong:

Thank you for your question. Hospitals for entitled groups are an important front for providing services to veterans and other entitled groups. Their development and reform are now at a critical stage. We will have Mr. Cao Jun, the director general of the Department of Support and Preferential Treatment of the MVA, to answer your question. 

Cao Jun:

Thank you for your question as well as the public concern about the hospitals for entitled groups. The public may not yet be very familiar with the new concept of "hospitals for entitled groups." As a matter of fact, as Mr. Ma briefly mentioned just now, hospitals for entitled groups are an important part of troops preparing for war, warm homes for disabled servicemen and other entitled groups to enjoy medical care, rehabilitation, and support services, and an important platform for spreading care and love for revolutionary heroes. In October 1935, the first hospital for entitled groups was established in Yan'an, the holy land of our Party's revolution. Since then, these types of hospitals have made outstanding contributions to serving disabled revolutionary soldiers in different historical periods of China's revolution, construction, and reform. With continuous economic and social development, especially rapid development of national health care, problems such as outdated infrastructure, poor management systems, lack of internal vitality, and the poor planning and layout of hospitals for entitled groups have become increasingly prominent. The construction and service level of hospitals for entitled groups can no longer fully meet the needs of the situation and tasks, as well as the expectations of entitled groups including disabled veterans.

We must go ahead with reform in order to promote the high-quality development of hospitals for entitled groups. It can be summarized as the following four aspects: "positioning, layout, integration, and livening up." The "positioning" stresses that the hospitals for entitled groups are welfare public medical institutions with special missions, mainly providing medical services for entitled groups represented by disabled veterans. Their main duty must be fulfilled with high standards and to the letter. The "layout" requires us to consider the needs of war, needs of entitled groups, and public health resources distribution in a comprehensive way. In principle, we should build three provincial hospitals for entitled groups in each province and a number of regional ones across the country in accordance with the standards of tertiary hospitals. The provincial and regional hospitals for entitled groups should play an exemplary role and help other such hospitals so that we can establish a medical system for entitled groups which is well laid out. The "integration" means that the hospitals for entitled groups should be integrated into the medical and health care service system, be included in regional planning and the construction of medical alliances, enjoy the same preferential policies as other public hospitals, and also provide medical services for our society, so that we can promote the integrated development of hospitals for entitled groups and local medical service systems. "Livening up" indicates that we should strengthen Party building, management, personnel salary, performance evaluation, and other aspects so as to activate the internal driving forces of the hospitals for entitled groups, enhance their capacity for independent development, and improve their capabilities.

It is a fine tradition of the Party and the state to show their great love for revolutionary heroes. It is the main duty of hospitals for entitled groups to serve disabled soldiers and other entitled groups. Being a soldier is a special profession. As the old saying goes, "On the day of taking orders, they will forget their homes; when facing the battles, they will forget their families; when the drum beats, they will forget themselves." Being a soldier means dedication and sacrifice. I hope that governments at all levels, all localities, and all sectors of society will care for, support, and help the construction and development of hospitals for entitled groups, striving to make them stronger and better. In doing so, we will ensure medical service guarantees for military officers and soldiers, and they will definitely devote themselves to building a strong military without hesitation.