Another 10 Million Women to Enjoy Maternity InsuranceTo protect women's rights in a more efficient way, the Chinese government will inspire another 10 million women to buy maternity insurance, thus increasing the figure to 40 million this year.Officials in charge of labor resources said maternity insurance can cover medical treatment charges and maternity subsidies in order to satisfy women's basic needs for medical care during the period. The ongoing social welfare system reform nationwide has brought a series of changes in medical care, which also requires changes in the old maternity care. The nationwide social welfare reform is aimed to share the heavy financial burden in the aspect between enterprises and individuals instead of the previous sole responsibility of companies. With the changes, the country expects to better protect human rights and at the same time lessen the financial burdens of the working units. Various factors in recent years has affected the carrying out of the maternity insurance in the country. Official records show that by now, over 50 percent of the cities and counties have launched the social welfare project, benefiting nearly 30 million female employees. Coverage rates in a dozen provinces and regions such as Shanxi, Yunnan, Fujian, and Jiangxi have exceeded 80 percent. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |