Healthcare reform carried out in Chinese way  

Beijing (CNS) -- The government will continue to explore Chinese solutions to the problem of healthcare reform, according to an official speaking here in Beijing on Wednesday.

Five key tasks have been fulfilled since 2009 when this round of reforms was introduced, Sun Zhigang, head of the health reform office under the State Council, said at the 2nd China-U.S. Health Summit.

Those tasks were promoting the medical insurance system, establishing a national system for basic drugs, improving the community-level medical and healthcare systems, providing equal access to basic public health services and progressing in trials of public hospital reform, he explained.

Citing official figures, Sun said that 1.3 billion residents have been covered by basic medical insurance. Moreover, ten types of basic public health services and seven types of major public health services have been implemented, and the prices of basic drugs throughout the whole country have dropped by 30 percent, he said.

Chinese healthcare reform has now stepped into a crucial period and faces structural conflicts as well as big challenges, Sun said, adding that it should be carried out in a Chinese way in light of Chinese conditions.