Over 100m people sign up for China's medical insurance digital code

More than 100 million people in China have registered to use a digital code for the country's basic medical insurance plan, the National Healthcare Security Administration said on Friday.

The administration launched a system about four years ago to assign a digital identification code for residents covered by its basic medical insurance.

By the end of last year, about 135 million people were covered by the insurance program, data released by the administration shows.

The administration said the digital code — which can be presented on mobile phones — can now be used when making hospital appointments, seeing doctors, undergoing tests and examinations, collecting reports and obtaining medicines.

Nationwide, more than 800,000 public hospitals and pharmacies have connected to the digital system.

All insurers in Zhejiang and Qinghai provinces have activated their digital codes and more than half of the remaining provincial-level regions across China have seen at least 75 percent of insurers in their jurisdictions activate their codes.