Rampant IV use leads to 390,000 deaths a year in China
September 12, 2013 Leave a comment
Rampant IV use leads to 390,000 deaths a year in China: report
Staff Reporter
2013-09-12
Sick children with intravenous drips in a hospital in Beijing. (Photo/Xinhua)
Over 390,000 deaths in China are caused by unsafe intravenous therapy each year, with 200,000 of them being caused by fatal reactions to drugs delivered, the China Alliance for Safe Injection estimated. At least 100,000 persons died in the country each year after receiving IV fluid infusion, they added.Official data showed that patients used more than 10 billion bottles of IV fluid in 2011, equivalent to eight bottles per capita, far higher than the international level of 2.5 bottles to 3.3 bottles, the Guangzhou-based 21st Century Economic Report said.
Since UV therapy was introduced in China in the 1990s, this method of therapy has developed rapidly across the country. People with symptoms indicating anything from flu to gastroenteritis or TB are prescribed the IV therapy.
The excessive use of IV fluids can cause a certain extent of damage to the human body and boost drug resistance in patients, the report noted.
Since purchasing IV fluids allows hospitals and doctors to receive greater financial benefits in the form of kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies than oral medicines, hospitals and doctors usually risk using the IV fluid therapy.
Some hospitals even evaluate the monthly performance of their doctors based on the amount of drugs — including IV fluids — that they prescribe. This puts an incentive on IV fluids with the types of medicines most often prescribed by doctors, according to the report.
Under such circumstances, a chain of interests among hospitals, doctors and pharmaceutical companies has been created.
Since the Chinese government prioritized marketization under hospital reform in 2004, revenue generated from medicine has become a major profit source for hospitals aside from government subsidies and service fees. It now accounts for more than 40% of the total.
Generally speaking, because the prices of IV fluids and drugs are much higher than oral drugs, the more such products are used, the more economic benefits hospitals can draw.
In addition, increasing the use of IV fluid therapy and arranging health checks for patients increases hospital occupancy rates, another boost to their profits. These are all factors affecting the widespread use of IV fluid therapy, according to the report.
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