China to expand pilot program for reform of medical services pricing

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) — China will expand a pilot program for its reform of medical services pricing to three provincial-level regions, regulators said on Monday.

The reform will be piloted in the provinces of Zhejiang and Sichuan, as well as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, following progress in the five pilot cities of Tangshan, Suzhou, Xiamen, Ganzhou and Leshan over the past two years, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA).

In the course of the pilot reform in the five cities, prices of health examinations with high-proportion equipment and material costs have decreased, the NHSA said.

Prices of some services with low prices but high technical labor value have been raised, such as nursing, surgery and traditional Chinese medicine, it added.

The NHSA stated that it will guide the three provincial-level regions directly and continue to guide the five pilot cities to gain reform experience that can be replicated and promoted nationwide.