From Caijing Magazine:
Hangzhou construction worker Yang Yong watched his hospitalized, 1-year-old daughter struggle with painful kidney stones every day for more than six months.
Meanwhile, Yang struggles to pay the medical bills. He fell into debt after daughter Yang Huan became one of nearly 290,000 babies in China diagnosed this year with urinary tract problems linked to powdered milk formula contaminated with toxic melamine. Reports say six babies have died.
Relatives in a distant city recently loaned Yang 5,000 yuan. That helped pay some bills, but it was far from enough to save his baby girl. The loan equals only one-fourth of what he’s spent, and surgery cost an additional 20,000 yuan.
The Yang family is not alone. Caijing learned that many families with melamine-poisoned babies are strapped for cash. Few got the free medical help promised by government officials after the crisis became public in September.
