The Ministry of Labour and Social Security Thursday released an updated catalogue of medicines provided for patients covered by medicine and work-related injuries insurance.

More than 800 traditional Chinese medicines were included in the long-awaited list, as well as nearly 1,000 Western medicines.

Vice-Minister of Labour and Social Security Wang Dongjin said at Thursday's press conference the updated list indicates clinical and medicinal progress.

It will facilitate patients with more affordable choices, said Wang, adding the list was made possible after an intensive three-month feasibility study of more than 1,000 renowned doctors and researchers.

In 2000, the government released its first medicine catalogue for medicare insurance, in which 415 Chinese medicines and 725 Western medicines were included.

But Wang said the prices of medicines, which have aroused many complaints among the public, will be decided after consulting with the National Development and Reform Commission, which is authorized by the State Council to decide prices of basic medicines covered by medicare insurance.

Overall, we aimed to make the medicines affordable, said Wang.

He said most Chinese are not yet affluent and China's economy needs further development.

Statistics indicate an average American spends US$5,000 on medicare annually, but the per capita gross domestic product in China just surpassed US$1,000 last year.

Prices of nearly 1,000 medicines have already been cut since 2001, saving consumers 30 billion yuan (US$3.6 billion), the National Development and Reform Commission said.

Gao Qiang, vice-minister of health, said there is still a lot of room for medicine prices, both set by the government and adjusted by the market, to drop.

Some 118.47 million residents across China will have benefited from a basic medical insurance network by the end of August. And 56.89 million have been covered by work-related injury insurance.

"But the health network is incomplete and is especially fragile in China's rural areas," said Yao Hong, director with the ministry's Department of Medical Insurance.

In China's rural areas, there are about 30 million people living in poverty and 60 million living close to the poverty line.

Statistics indicate that 90 percent of farmers have to pay medical expenses by themselves, compared to 60 percent of urban dwellers, while farmers' incomes are about one-third that of urban residents. As a result, many farmers are unable to afford medical treatment.

The central government is determined to set up an effective welfare system to offer health care to 900 million farmers, the system is scheduled to be expanded to cover all farmers by 2010.

(China Daily September 17, 2004)