China's new rural cooperative medical care system had been extended to 1,399 counties by last June, covering 495 million rural dwellers, says a white paper issued here Tuesday.

China began to pilot the medical care system in 2003, aiming to pool funds from individuals, and local and central governments to solve the medical difficulties of farmers.

Up to 396 million farmers, and over 73 percent of the elderly people in the experimental areas, had participated in this new-type medical care system, says the white paper titled "The Development of China's Undertakings for the Aged".

A total of 14.412 billion yuan had been paid in 282 million cases as subsidies to farmers who joined the new medical care system, it says.

The central government has required local governments to give preferential treatment to people aged over 70, who participated in the new medical care system, to meet their special needs, says the white paper.

A rural medical aid system has been established, with funds from government allocations and public donations, to help the elderly and poor farmers to join the new cooperative medical system.

The white paper says so far the rural medical aid system has been set up throughout the county. In 2005, a total of 1.08 billion yuan of medical aid subsidy was given to farmers in 11.12 million cases.

The white paper says the Chinese government is exploring ways to set up a social medical aid system in cities by pooling medical aid funds from many channels, such as state revenue allocations, public lottery welfare funds and public donations, to subsidize the medical costs of people in dire need.

By the end of 2005, experimental work had been conducted in 1,119 counties, providing medical aid in 1.633 million cases, the white paper says.

Source: Xinhua