From correspondents in Beijing, China, 05:05 PM IST

China will expand its medical care system to cover more than 80 percent of all counties, said premier Wen Jiabao at the opening meeting of the fifth session of the Chinese parliament Monday.

'The trial area of the new type of rural cooperative medical care system will be expanded this year to cover over 80 percent of all counties in China,' Wen said.

The allocation from the central government budget to subsidise this trial will be 10.1 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) this year, a 5.8 billion yuan ($750 million) year-on-year increase, according to a government report.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)