China has stepped up efforts to improve its basic public healthcare service program to better safeguard people's health, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).
国家卫计委表示,中国已在基本公共医疗服务项目上加大力度以更好地保障人民的健康。
Per capita
subsidies1 for the program were raised from 52.6 yuan (about 7.6 U.S. dollars) in 2017 to 57.6 yuan last year, read a
statistical2 report on China's medical and healthcare
sector3 issued by the NHC.
Raising people's health
awareness4 and offering free contraceptives were newly included in the program, which now covers 14 types of services, the report
noted5.
Initiated6 in 2009, the program aims to provide free healthcare services for vulnerable groups, such as children, the pregnant and elderly people.
Services under the program include setting up health archives for citizens, health management for pregnant women and elderly people
aged7 65 and above.
During the two sessions in March,
Premier8 Li Keqiang
vowed9 to direct newly increased government subsidies for the program to villages and urban communities to benefit more primary-level groups.