A GUANGZHOU hospital promised Monday (Sep 12th) to assist indigent students at the Guangdong University of Technology by paying the part of the inpatient expenditure not covered by their national healthcare schemes.

The Guangdong Province No.2 People's Hospital signed a three-year agreement with the university to help poor students. The hospital also donated an ambulance to the university at a ceremony Monday.

The healthcare scheme covers 80 percent of the inpatient expenditure, while the rest is paid by patients themselves.

However, the average inpatient expenditure for students at the university was about 5,600 yuan (US$691), which means they had to pay about 1,000 yuan from their own pockets if they were hospitalized, the university authorities said.

The university has more than 25,000 students, among whom 10 percent are students who need financial help to finish their studies.

"The 1,000-yuan expenditure could mean too much for them," the university authorities said.

Editor: Wing