Orphans receive free insurance for illnesses

More than 70,000 orphans in China have been given free insurance contracts that cover the costs of treating 12 critical illnesses, as a joint insurance program supported by the government and a charity organization continues to expand.

The most recent beneficiaries are from Beijing, Qinghai, Tianjin, Henan, Shanxi and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. An insurance fund created through donations will be accessible for one year from June 1, or Children's Day, Dr. Heidi Hu, the managing director of the China Children Insurance Foundation (CCIF), said Thursday.

"On the special day for our children, we would like to offer a guarantee for a healthy childhood to the group, which might be in the most need of our caring and love," she said.

The foundation launched the joint program in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) in 2009 to provide free insurance for the children of poor families and the 712,000 orphans under the age of 18 registered with the MCA.

"So far, we have distributed about 500,000 such insurance contracts to children in 20 provincial regions, including the quake-hit province of Sichuan and the plateau areas of Qinghai and Tibet," said Hu.

Each insured child is covered for 100,000 yuan (about $15,750) at a premium of 50 yuan a year. The 12 major illnesses covered include malignant tumors, illnesses requiring organ or stem cell transplants, acute kidney failure, aplastic anemia, acute hepatitis and infantile paralysis, among others, Hu said.

Insured children will be notified about their coverage by local civil affairs departments, which will act on behalf of the CCIF in distributing specially designed insurance cards, according to the doctor.

The foundation said that it hopes more businesses and members of the public will donate to the program. To guarantee transparency in the insurance program's operation and management, Dr. Hu said, all donation information can be checked and verified online at baoxian.cctf.org.cn, a website hosted by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund, the parent foundation of the CCIF.