China allocates medical resources to ensure people's health: official

BEIJING -- China is actively allocating medical resources to ensure people's health and there remain enough medical resources in the country as a whole, a Chinese health official said on Thursday.

Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission (NHC), told a press briefing that China's medical resources can meet the needs to treat all severe COVID-19 cases, including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

As various areas in China are at different stages of the COVID-19 spread, she said, places that are currently experiencing infection peaks may have faced imbalance between supply and demand, but the situation has been dealt with through multiple measures.

"The rise in demand for medical resources was anticipated and China was prepared for the situation," Jiao said.

Since 2020, the country has been increasing its input of resources to improve its medical system, Jiao said.

Ahead of the optimization of China's epidemic response in early December, hospitals specializing in major and severe diseases were established and designated COVID-19 hospitals were expanded and upgraded, she said.

The number of fever clinics in hospitals of medium size and above has reached 16,000, according to Jiao. The national occupancy rate of beds for severe cases, which currently total 181,000, has not yet reached the 80 percent mark, she added.

Regarding the supply of medicines, Jiao said that China is one of the largest producers of fever medicines, and its total production capacity is sufficient to meet demand.

Ensuring medical supplies for the elderly has been made a priority, and the supply earmarked for institutions such as nursing homes and welfare homes has been secured, Jiao said.