China reports progress in health care reform

China expanded the number of cities piloting health care reform to 200 in 2016, according to a new report.

More than 2,300 public hospitals nationwide participated in health care reform last year, according to a report issued by the health care reform leading group under the State Council on Tuesday.

The report states that 92.6% of prefectural cities have adjusted the price of medical services, and drug expenses as a percentage of outpatient and hospitalization fees have dropped compared to 2015.

Currently, 1.34 billion Chinese people are enrolled in various public medical insurance systems, accounting for up to 98.8% of the population.

In addition, the country has more than 440,000 non-public medical institutions and nearly 20,000 licensed doctors practicing at multiple sites, says the report.