For decades, China has been content to let the invisible hand of the market work its magic on the country's economy. But there's one area where the government wants to reassert state control: healthcare. ---- Today, nearly 40 per cent of the population can't afford to see a doctor. The average hospital stay for a Chinese citizen costs nearly as much as an individual's annual per capita income in the country. Healthcare grievances have been at the heart of thousands of organized protests countrywide in recent years.