Policy Digest: Dec 15

Medical insurance fraud campaign bearing fruit

China's medical insurance watchdog has recovered around 50.6 billion yuan ($8 billion) in medical insurance fraud cases since 2018, the National Healthcare Security Administration said.

Healthcare security regulatory agencies across the country conducted approximately 2.34 million inspections of medical institutions related to insurance fraud between 2018 and October this year, Jiang Jiacheng, an official with the administration, told a news conference in Beijing on Dec 8.

Notable progress has been made in curbing medical insurance fraud since the administration was founded in 2018, Jiang said.

Together with the Ministry of Public Security and the National Health Commission, the administration jointly launched a nationwide campaign in April targeting the crime.

By the end of October, 3,970 cases had been investigated.

During the six-month period, the national medical insurance fund suspended service contracts with 142 medical institutions and terminated contracts with 61 institutions, Jiang said.

The campaign, previously scheduled to conclude this month, will be extended for another year, the administration told reporters.

Heritage body ramps up protection of grottoes

By 2025, the conservation of grotto temples-those housing ancient caves-across the country will see significant progress in terms of security, cultural heritage promotion and use of technology, according to a five-year plan issued by the National Cultural Heritage Administration earlier this month.

The plan seeks to guard against safety risks, damage to relics, and theft and trafficking cases.

Currently, some prominent problems related to the protection of these temples remain, including insufficient protection for small- and medium-sized caves.

Next year, China will step up protection and utilization of grotto temples to eliminate security risks.

The plan proposed setting up a national digital platform for grotto temples and prioritizing the protection of small- and medium-sized temples.

It also called for improvement to long-term collaboration mechanisms for combating cultural relic crimes and said resolving cases of the theft of cave relics should be prioritized in the special raids and operations designed to combat heritage crimes.

Efforts will also be made to retrieve lost and stolen grotto relics.

International cooperation concerning IPR growing

China has deepened international cooperation in the field of intellectual property rights protection, making it an active proponent of the international rules of IPR, the National Intellectual Property Administration said.

At a news conference on Dec 8, Hu Wenhui, a spokesman for the administration, offered a review of the country's achievements so far.

He underscored the fact that China has made decisive progress in joining the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs, which aims to boost intellectual property protection.

The Chinese language has also become one of the working languages of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, Hu noted.

China has implemented the China-EU Agreement on Geographical Indications, with 244 indications being mutually recognized and protected, he said.

AGI shows that a product has a specific geographical origin and possesses specific qualities or a reputation due to that origin. It serves as a kind of quality guarantee that distinguishes it from competitors.