95 percent of residents in Tibet covered by basic medical insurance

A Tibetan patient has her throat examined at the Barkor Community Health Service Center in Lhasa, Tibet, by Tao Yongkang, a Tibet-Aid physician from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital. A multilevel medical care security system with basic medical insurance as the main body, insurance for serious illnesses as a supplement, and medical assistance as the foundation has been basically formed in the region, she said, adding that the government subsidizes annual premiums for the poor. The regional government recently issued a document on deepening reform of the medical care security system that said by 2025, the functions of basic medical insurance, serious illness insurance, and medical assistance will be largely improved, the news conference was told. "The average financial subsidy standard for residents' medical insurance in Tibet has reached 615 yuan a year, 35 yuan higher than the national average," Zhang said. "Around 70 percent of my medical expenses were covered by the basic medical insurance system, and another 20 percent was covered by a civil aid medical assistance project.