Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    A SHENZHEN hospital reservation platform has reached a deal with a Shanghai company to initiate an anti-cancer project, allowing people to help each other financially in case they become cancer-stricken.

    Anyone who agrees to join the project, which covers 111 major diseases, will pay up to 3 yuan (US$0.44) if one of the participants is diagnosed with cancer, and each cancer patient will be able to receive up to 300,000 yuan in financial support through the project, 91160.com and Zhongtopia said. The Shenzhen-based hospital reservation platform, 91160.com, said that it boasts more than 100 million users.

    Among China’s 70 million needy people, 42 percent became impoverished due to disease, data showed.

    China’s population of cancer patients has been rapidly increasing in recent years, with six people being diagnosed with cancer and five dying of cancer every minute, statistics show. Average spending on treating cancer is estimated at between 300,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan, Shanghai-based Zhongtopia said.

    Those who are interested in the project can register at Zhongtopia’s WeChat account and participants will be signed up for different groups according to their age and medical record.