Every farmer in Tianjin, the coastal city of northern China, is
expected to enjoy medical insurance by 2007, thanks to the
establishment of a new type of rural cooperative medical
system.
Related departments in the municipality recently said the rural
cooperative medical system has so far covered over 1.17 million
farmers, accounting for around one third of the rural population in
the city.
The cooperative medical system is part of the central
government's drive to offer medical services to rural
communities.
The medical system is a pilot project initiated in 2003. By the
end of June 2004, the project had been implemented in 310 counties
in 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, covering
68.99 million rural residents, according to the Ministry of
Health.
Rural residents participate in the program as a household unit.
Each year a family hands over 10 yuan (US$1.20) per member. Both
the central and provincial governments pump money into the
system.
(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2005)