Who pays for a new class of professional patients

Due to the strong regulatory supervision, some traditional occupational diseases such as silicosis, gasoline poisoning, and industrial fluorosis have been gradually reduced in Ningbo; however, a series of new “occupational diseases” such as cervical spondylosis, mouse hands, and dry eye syndrome have been increasing. This is what the reporter learned from the "Professional Disease Prevention Act" publicity week held in Ningbo recently.

However, these new "occupational diseases" have not yet been incorporated into the scope of the "Occupational Disease Prevention Law," and patients cannot receive appropriate compensation.

Case: Treatment of more than 40,000 units of cervical spine but no accounting
35-year-old Zhang Jing (a pseudonym) has been working on computer copywriting for five years. He works at least 8 hours a day at work, and sometimes has to work overtime for an hour or two.

Because of long-term work hard at the computer, he often feels dizzy from last year. When he looks up, his neck will make a noise and both shoulders will feel inexplicable.

The doctor told him he had severe cervical spondylosis and frozen shoulder. Due to serious illness, he received surgical treatment in the Ningda Affiliated Hospital 3 months ago and spent more than 40,000 yuan.

To his surprise, the company not only refused to pay compensation for the damage and medical expenses incurred, but also suspended his salary during his stay in hospital.

In the absence of fruitful negotiations, Zhang Jing decided to safeguard his rights in accordance with the law. The health supervision department stated that new types of diseases such as cervical spondylosis are not included in the scope of occupational diseases prescribed by the state, so they cannot be given an occupational disease test. The labor and social security department also believes that this type of illness cannot be identified as a work-related injury.

"I am obviously sick because of my occupation. Why can't I be considered as an occupational illness or an occupational injury?" Zhang Jing still has no idea.

Current situation: more and more new "occupational disease" patients <br><br><br><br><br><br> Reporters learned from several major hospitals in Ningbo, in recent years, with the rise of new industries and occupations, related occupational diseases have begun to appear high.

Ningbo No. 6 Hospital is the largest orthopedic and surgical hospital in the city. Speaking of cervical spondylosis, Ma Weihu, chief physician of the orthopaedic department of the hospital said that the disease has now become frequently-occurring disease. In particular, some young white-collar workers are mostly affected by it. Many patients are caused by long-term desk work, and sometimes one-day outpatient service is needed. More than 10 cases were diagnosed.

The director of the hospital's hand surgery Chen Hong also said that the common "mouse hand", each encounter can meet several cases, there are three or five weeks of surgery. The disease is mainly characterized by numbness and soreness in the hands, severe sleeplessness, and even muscle atrophy. In the past, chefs and painters who used their wrists more often had more diseases. Now, with the popularity of computers, the number of patients in the IT industry has increased significantly.

The reporter also learned from a number of hospitals in the urban areas that occupation-related problems such as dry eye, lumbar muscle strain, frozen shoulder, and retinal detachment have increased year after year. The First Hospital of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dr. Lu Meifen, chief physician, told reporters that in recent years, patients with neck, shoulder, waist, and leg pain have experienced rapid growth, and they have shown a very clear trend of youthfulness. They are required to attend five to six hundred patients a month, and almost half of them are patients with cervical and lumbar spondylosis. The vast majority are caused by their own occupations.

Viewpoint: "Occupational Diseases List" needs to be revised <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> However, unfortunately, statutory occupational diseases must be published in the Occupational Diseases List, and none of them are counted, so many cases cannot be accepted.

It is understood that the "Occupational Diseases List" implemented in China is released in April 2002 and has not changed for more than 9 years. Among the identified occupational diseases, a total of 115 categories of 10 categories, including pneumoconiosis and occupational poisoning, did not include occupational diseases such as cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, and musculoskeletal injuries.

“Although occupation-related diseases are not necessarily occupational diseases, the relevant national authorities should also make timely necessary changes to the defined scope of occupational diseases so that the health and interests of the injured population can be better guaranteed.” .

"Based on the concept of humane care and legal equality, the types of occupational disease identified in China should also be continuously expanded, and relevant legislative work should be intensified so as to provide laborers with powerful legal protection for their rights protection activities." A municipal health bureau has been engaged in occupational diseases for many years. Experts on prevention and treatment also think so.

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