The national medical service system is to be overhauled.
The number of drugs and treatments doctors can prescribe without charge is to be significantly limited, state agencies reported yesterday.
Xinhua (the New China News Agency) said the Government would seek to complete the reforms in two to three years.
They will affect more than 40 million state cadres and 140 million workers of companies owned or run by the state.
The main thrust of the reforms includes limiting the type of drugs and treatments doctors can prescribe, setting budget ceilings for hospitals, opening up the retail drug market and encouraging hospitals to set prices according to costs.
Standard tariffs would be set for some basic and new services but hospitals would be allowed to charge premiums for special treatments, the Xinhua report said.
In addition, local drug manufacturers would be encouraged to produce drugs which had been classified as 'basic' and 'quality' drugs. Controls on imports of foreign-manufactured drugs would be strengthened.
