On the one hand, more cancer patients are pouring into the big hospitals for treatment,but, on the other, the already-overburdened medical resources, and sometimes high costs, make it very difficult for every patient to get access to the required medical facilities. Some just make do with what they can.
This is one of Beijing's largest hospitals, the first choice for many cancer patients.
Every day, hundreds of patients line the corridor of the hospital, some still wheeling suitcases from their long journey, waiting and waiting to be called.
43-year-old Li Xiaohe is one of those who ventured far away from home, to Beijing, for treatment.However, the cost for her long-term treatment in hospital seems to be too high for the family. As a result, Li and her husband have set themselves up for the long haul in a local, low-cost hotel.
These are not traditional hotels, but furnished units in apartment blocks, costing as little as 30 yuan per night/per room.
They give patients an affordable place to stay to wait for appointments and undergo out-patient treatment like chemotherapy. The owner of the hotel says she now rents 10 apartments for cancer patients.
For Li, life will go on like this, without knowing how long she'll stay at the hotel.
And though people, such as Li, are looking for different ways to cope with limited medical resources and costs, experts believe this is also an issue for the government, the medical system and the whole of society.