Health Minister Interprets the Cooperative Medical System

By CT staff reporter

The Health Minister Chen Zhu said at the ongoing session of the National People’s Congress that China’s cooperative medical system for the rural area is the biggest medical care project in the world, with the participation reaching 833 million. The input is RMB 113 per head, while the maximum premium is six times of the per capita net income in the countryside, providing farmers an effective shield of security. In the year of 2009 759 million rural residents had their medical bills refunded by the system.

In his work report Premier Wen Jiabao vowed to increase the government funding for the system by 50 percent this year, another step toward the goal of making medical service affordable for every citizen.