China to reimburse rural patients with major diseases

Twelve major diseases, including lung cancer, will be added to a list of conditions for which rural patients can seek reimbursement for their treatment, according to a government official.

A pilot program for the new additions will be introduced in one-third of China's regions this year, Minister of Health Chen Zhu said Thursday at a work conference.

Chen said the program will help reduce medical costs for rural patients, who often have lower incomes than their urban counterparts.

An earlier phase of the program was launched in 2010, covering congenital heart disease (CHD) and acute leukemia. Six other diseases, including breast cancer, were added to the list in early 2011.

By the end of 2011, over 230,000 rural families had been benefited under the policy, according to Liu Qian, vice minister of health, adding that about 30,000 of them were patients suffering from CHD.

Liu also briefed the conference on the progress being made in reforming China's rural cooperative medical care system.

Introduced in 2003, the system covered 832 million rural residents, or about 96 percent of the entire rural population, in 2011, said Liu.

Liu mentioned several "pioneering regions" that have brought in recognized commercial insurance companies to participate in administering the program and consult on related local legislation.

To enhance the quality of village-based medical personnel, the central government has spent 770 million yuan (122 million U.S. dollars) over the past three years to provide training for them, said Liu.