Of course, most Asians must rely on state-subsidized care. Asia's leaders, faced with rising expectations and limited resources, are counting on the private sector to meet the demand for better care. The pie isn't getting any bigger,'' says Derek B. Gould, principal assistant health secretary in Hong Kong. Moreover, despite smug talk by some political leaders about Asian values, families may not be up to the task of caring for the sick and elderly as they once were. Families are getting smaller.
People are very busy.
They don't have time for their parents,'' says Colin Theseira, a retired Singapore Air Force general who is CEO of Tele-Medical Services, which does a brisk business in home health care. Until recently, government hospitals were the only option for most Asians, even middle-class ones. By taking such a large role, most governments left little room for the private sector, which catered to the wealthy few. In some countries, including the Philippines and Hong Kong, employers provided some health-care benefits. In China, most city- dwellers went to clinics and hospitals run by their work units.