China rolls out new regulations to enhance public well-being

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has put forward a series of new regulations, which will take effect from March 1, to enhance people's well-being.

For instance, 111 drugs will be added to the list of medicines eligible for the country's medical insurance reimbursement as of March, some of which are targeted at COVID-19, rare diseases and pediatric diseases.

Most of the newly added drugs are on the market for less than five years, and the total number of drugs covered by medical insurance will increase to 2,967, according to the catalog issued by the National Healthcare Security Administration.

As part of the new regulations, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has released a list of 14 key pollutants, strictly forbidding or limiting their production, processing and emission.

The pollutants are hazardous chemicals that pose risks to the environment and human health but have not yet been effectively treated in China, said an official with the ministry.

Another regulation requires the National Medical Products Administration to conduct sampling inspections on children's cosmetics and other products every year, and build a national cosmetics information system based on such inspections.