A staff member explains medical insurance policies to a resident at a hospital in Sanming, Fujian Province, Nov. 18, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's healthcare sector is making steady progress in opening up to foreign investment and expertise, with more than 150 joint-venture and wholly overseas-invested medical institutions now operating nationwide, a senior health official announced Monday.

Over 1,500 healthcare professionals from outside the mainland are currently practicing in China on a short-term basis, said Jiao Yahui, a senior official with the National Health Commission, at a press briefing in Beijing.