Twelve days before the lunar New Year in 2004, Wang Jianmin, a migrant worker from northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, died in the waiting room of the emergency ward at Beijing's Tongren Hospital.

Just before his death, Wang was twice sent to the hospital by ambulance, but doctors refused to treat him, saying his illness was not life threatening and treatment would only begin if he paid the medical fees in advance. Eventually Wang could no longer endure the pain and gave up on life while waiting for money to be raised for his treatment. Although Wang died of asphyxiation, the original cause of his illness is still under investigation.

Wang's story is a typical example of the situation of millions of migrant workers threatened by various diseases. These diseases, combined with the daily hazards of injury whilst on duty, make life for average workers a bit of a lottery.

Recently, Hubei Provincial Labor and Social Security Department conducted a free physical examination for migrant workers in Wuhan, the provincial capital, finding that among 14,000 checked, about 40 percent are working in spite of illnesses.

Doctors too costly

Liu Guitian carefully fills out his remittance slip for 325 yuan ($40) at a local bank each month. His top priority is to send money home.

Liu is a farmer from Xinxiang, Henan Province, one of the biggest sources of labor in the country. Since 1999, he has been trying his luck in Beijing with several of his friends. A year-long, hard-earned wage from the farmland was about 1,000 yuan ($807). "We could not even afford children's tuition fees in tough years," said Liu.

Now he works as a porter in Beijing. "I have to work 12 hours a day for 15 yuan ($1.8), however, the accommodation is provided by the developer, meaning I can save more than 300 yuan ($37) monthly," he said.

Liu lives on site in a temporary structure made of cardboard. Taking up most of the 15-square-meter floor space are six beds, some piled with washbowls, mess tins, bedding and luggage. The room is bitterly cold.

According to Liu, most migrants cannot afford the costly medicine and hospitalization when they fall ill. They would rather grin and swallow medicine to help cure common diseases such as a cold.

"We can't afford the time off to see a doctor, as we lose money," he complained. Liu's friend Li Changchun from Sichuan Province said many workers buy their own medication at local pharmacies or bring them from home.

Medical experts note that poor living conditions and exhausting physical pressure are determined causes of the workers' illnesses. Migrant workers usually engage in dirty, weary and dangerous work, with comparatively low incomes.

Moreover, the workers show little concern for their diet or clean living environment. Over time, physical problems will accumulate and the body's constitution inevitably sinks into decline, resulting in the high possibility of chronic diseases.

By not addressing ailments in a timely fashion, they may become life-threatening, health experts warn.

Statistical analysis shows that the health condition for migrant workers in Wuhan is far from optimistic. It was calculated that more than 20 percent of workers are infected with the hepatitis B virus, 8 percent are suffering from fatty livers, 5 percent are sick with gall or kidney stones, while 10 percent are afflicted with cardiovascular diseases, with a high incidence rate of hypertension and coronary heart disease.

The situation is even worse for women workers. About 67 percent were suffering from gynecological infections, including hysteromyoma, PID and cervicitis.