Orphans from Earthquake-struck Province Receive Free Insurance to Cover Critical Illnesses

About 42,000 orphans from quake-hit Sichuan Province received renewed insurance contracts on Thursday to cover the treatment of 12 critical illnesses.

An insurance fund created through donations will be accessible for one year starting on Thursday, according to Dr. Heidi Hu, managing director of the China Children Insurance Foundation (CCIF).

"It's the second year that we have been able to offer insurance to registered orphans in Sichuan, including those whose parents passed away in the devastating quake three years ago," Hu said.

The foundation launched a joint program in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2009 to give free medical insurance to 712,000 orphans, according to the CCIF.

According to Hu, each insured child is covered for 100,000 yuan (US $15,474) at a premium of 50 yuan a year.

The 12 major illnesses covered by the insurance program include malignant tumors, illnesses requiring organ or stem cell transplants, acute kidney failure, aplastic anemia, acute hepatitis and infantile paralysis, Hu said.

The foundation has raised more than 21 million yuan in donations so far and provided 440,000 insurance contracts to children in 19 of the country's provinces and regions.

Children from families that are having financial difficulties are also on the beneficiary list.

"One key part of our work is to make sure that the insurance we give to the children is sustainable," Hu said.

"It's a long-term project. We hope more people will join us in helping the children until they are able to help themselves," she said.

Hu said the foundation has also received support from provincial governments in addition to donations from large companies and individuals.

To guarantee transparency in the insurance program's operation and management, the doctor said that all the donation information can be checked and verified online at baoxian.cctf.org.cn, a website hosted by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF), the parent foundation of the CCIF.

(Source: Xinhua)