China to expand coverage of high-quality medical services

BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China will establish regional health centers this year in 12 provincial-level regions in the central and western parts of the country, where high-quality medical resources are relatively scarce, an official told a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

Sun Zhicheng, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, noted that such centers will cover all provincial-level regions of China by the end of 2022.

The first batch of regional health centers has been established in eight provinces, with each center having 1,500 beds for patients on average, Sun said, adding that the centers have helped cultivate local medical workers and improve medical services in the regions.

Regional health centers refer to the branches set up by some top hospitals in areas with inadequate high-quality medical resources.