China spends more on medical aid

BEIJING - The Chinese government spent 109.5 billion yuan (17.9 bln US dollars) aiding people who can't afford medical services during the 2009-2014 period, an official said on Wednesday.

Government spending on medical aid rose by an annual average of 13.8 percent during the period, said Jiang Yu with the Ministry of Finance.

The government will spend more in this area, while private donations are also encouraged, Jiang said.

China established a national medical assistance system in 2008, allocating money to help disadvantaged people purchase medical insurance and to subsidize healthcare not included in insurance programs.

In 2014, the nation spent 25.4 billion yuan on such subsidies, benefiting 102 million people.

Currently, 63 percent of the funding comes from the central government, while local governments and donations contribute 32 percent and 5 percent respectively.

In April, the State Council promised to expand medical assistance to cover more people and help pay more medical expenses.