Miners battle lung disease in hazardous mine
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"Maybe farmers don't have the awareness to sign a contract with employers, but the fundamental problem is the lax supervision of mines by local governments," argued Professor Lu.
Health and labor bureaus are required to carry out regular inspections on companies under the Law on Occupational Disease. Any employers found failing to provide staff with necessary protective gear face warnings, fines and even closure in extreme cases.
Lu said these checks should be more comprehensive and called for harsher penalties for offenders.
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Shang Huazi bursts into tears while talking about her husband Zhang Yuesheng, who died from black lung. The couple's son, Zhang Long, said he is determined not to follow his father into the mines.[China Daily] |
He praised Gulang officials for responding correctly but urged the authority to improve its efficiency.
"This disease cannot be cured, so the compensation is vital to help families deal with losing their main breadwinner," he added.
Families of the seven Gulang men killed by black lung continue to suffer financial and mental anguish, said Shang Huazi, whose husband Zhang Yuesheng died on Oct 27, 2006, after working in a Subei gold mine for 13 years.
Zhang went for a medical test several months before his death as he could no longer bear the wheezing and coughing brought on by his condition. "My family was just able to pay for the test, which was 6,000 yuan. To pay for his surgery we borrowed money from relatives," said 42-year-old Shang.
But Zhang's lungs were too badly damaged. After his death, his family had to repay more than 70,000 yuan they borrowed to cover hospital bills - 20 times more than Shang's annual income.
"If I had no children, I would have had no courage to live on," sobbed Shang, who earns 30 yuan a day as a cleaner. "We have been given little help by the local government."
Black lung sufferers receive a minimum of 55 yuan in social insurance a month from the Gulang government, but families of dead patients do not qualify for aid. Local officials said they are doing all they can to help ease the financial pressure. Professor Lu suggested authorities cover patients' treatments with social security funds in advance, which can be repaid later by families.
Chen Liping said she would spend all the money she had helping her father Chen Dejin, 50, who was diagnosed four years ago and is now bed-ridden at home in Yikeshu village.
"My brother and I only have one father. As long as he can be cured, we don't care how much money his treatment costs," said the 22-year-old, who quit her job to care for her father. "He says he is just waiting for death but we'll do all we can to save his life."
Before returning to Gansu, Chen Liping earned 900 yuan a month in a Beijing garment factory. She has already spent almost 3,000 yuan of her savings on a respirator to help her father breathe.
Zhang Long, 15-year-old son of Zhang Yuesheng, said he understands the financial burden his mother shoulders and tries his best to comfort her with excellent exam scores.
"I will study hard so I never have to follow the same road as my father," said the teenager, who walks 8 km from school to his village every weekend to save on bus fare.
Shang knows keeping Zhang away from the mines when he is older may be hard, though. "I'm afraid I will not be able to afford to send him to college, even if he gets accepted at a prestigious university," she said.
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