China effectively addresses illness-caused poverty

BEIJING — About 6.7 million families previously in poverty due to high medical bills have been lifted above the poverty line thanks to government financial aid, according to the National Health Commission (NHC) on July 15.

In the first half of 2019, almost 90 percent of medical bills of needy patients were covered by the government and the number of serious illnesses covered by the government medical aid program increased to 25, in some places even to 30 types, the NHC said.

Now each county hospital in all 832 counties in the national list of impoverished regions have received assistance from at least one leading hospital.

The NHC will also set up clinics for endemic diseases and try to extend remote medical services to all county hospitals, said He Jinguo, head of the poverty alleviation and finance offices of the NHC.

More efforts will be made to address the shortage of staff at primary-level clinics, He said.

Since 2018, the central government has added a total of 8 billion yuan ($1.16 billion) for medical aid.