Chinese citizens pay less proportion of health expenditure

BEIJING -- Chinese citizens have paid less proportion of their total health spending, according to Minister of Health Chen Zhu.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Chen said the country has increased health resources with its financing structure being more efficient, and basic medical services having largely improved.

According to statistics released at the conference, the national total health expenditure in 2011 reached 2.42 trillion yuan ($383 billion), 5.1 percent of the GDP. The health expenditure paid individually decreased to 34.9 percent in 2011, from 57.7 percent in 2002.

The statistics show that government and social expenditure covered 30.4 percent and 34.7 percent in 2011, while the figures were 15.7 percent and 26.6 percent respectively in 2002.

Chen said the medical care system has covered more than 1.3 billion people, more than 95 percent of the total population, and 832 million people have joined the new rural cooperative medical system as of 2011.

The use of health services has grown significantly, with the total number of outpatients up from 2.15 billion people in 2002 to 6.27 billion people in 2011, Chen said.

Chinese citizens also have more convenient access to health care services, Chen said, adding that the number of residents within 15 minutes walking distance to hospitals has risen from 80.7 percent in 2003 to 83.3 percent in 2011.