China's Red Cross Foundation has set up a special fund to help poor children suffering from leukemia after a father tried to kill himself so his organs could be sold to raise money for his sick son, state media said.

The life of the desperate father, whose son had leukemia, was saved, but his case highlighted the plight of many Chinese patients who cannot afford to have treatment, the China Daily said.

The new fund, called the "Little Angel Fund," currently has no money in it.

"We hope that enterprises, institutions and individuals from home and abroad can offer a hand to the poor leukemia-stricken children," said the foundation's secretary-general Wang Rupeng.

Officials said the fund was urgently needed because many of China's four million people with leukemia cannot afford treatment.

Prohibitive medical costs, usually 200,000 to 600,000 yuan (24,000 to 72,000 dollars) per patient, often push affected families into bankruptcy, the report said. Many patients have to give up treatment due to a lack of cash.

The Beijing-based Sunshine Volunteer Association, which set up a stem cell database in 2002, said it helped 17 leukemia patients find "matching" blood to carry out stem cell transplants last year.

"But 10 had to pass up the chance of the operation because they did not have enough money," said Yang Fangfang, executive official of the association. "Giving up could mean death."

The problem reflects the fact that the country's medical insurance system still leaves much to be desired, said Yang.

China's health care system no longer takes care of the poor as it once did before economic reforms were launched more than two decades ago.

The number of people with leukemia is going up, with 30,000 to 40,000 people diagnosed every year, half of them children.

The son of the man who attempted suicide received a thorough check-up Thursday after people heard of his father's suicide attempt and donated around 60,000 yuan (7,200 dollars) for the boy's medical bills. 

(CRIENGLISH.com July 2, 2005)