At Jiangxi Provincial Children’s Hospital, Chen Jian’s face lit up with joy as his eight-month-old baby responded to the sounds of the world for the first time after undergoing cochlear implant surgery.
Born with congenital bilateral profound deafness, the infant’s world had been silent. The high cost of the surgery loomed as a significant burden over Chen’s rural family.
Since September 2023, Jiangxi Province in east China has included cochlear implants in its medical insurance reimbursement scope, with an average reimbursement ratio of about 70 percent. For low-income families like Chen’s, this ratio can reach up to 90 percent.
“Originally, the cost was 540,000 yuan (about $76,000), but we only needed to pay 38,000 yuan,” Chen told China Media Group (CMG), expressing his gratitude for the policy that made his child’s surgery possible.
Reference(s):
Hearing hope: How medical reforms empower deaf patients in China
cgtn.com
