Retirees back on the streets in China. Like last week thousands of protesters gathered in a park in the central city of Wuhan, as well as in the port of Dalian in the northeast of the country. The protesters oppose a reform of health insurance.
With our correspondent in Beijing, Stephane Lagarde
Reduced medical insurance
« Huan Wo Yi Bao Jin », (« rgive us the money! “), the slogans are the same as last week, but the tone went up a notch again this Wednesday, February 15 in Wuhan. Images posted on social media show thousands of protesters gathering, as they had announced, outside the entrance to Zhongshan Park.
Pensioners denounce – among other things – a reduction in their subsidies to buy medicines, out of the hospital. « This reduction in the allowance does not concern civil servantsconfides a resident joined this morning by RFI, but many elders are affected ». « It’s our money, they can’t take it from us like that without consultation » ; « it is hundreds of yuan and we were not asked for anything “, say the dissatisfied on the videos broadcast online. Following the national health insurance reform, the amount of health allowance paid monthly to retirees suddenly decreased on 1 February.
Several megalopolises affected by these punctures
Claims and songs: “the International” in particular… while several megalopolises are concerned by these locally decided punctures, Wuhan and Hefei in the center of the country, but also Canton and Shenzhen in the south-east, or the port of Dalian in the north- is where hundreds of protesters also voiced their exasperation on Wednesday. For the moment, the police have intervened little given the age of the processions, but the central power could end up worrying about a multiplication of these protests.
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