BEIJING, April 11 -- China will expand the scheme of on-the-spot settlement of cross-provincial outpatient medical expenses to cover more types of chronic and specific diseases this year, the National Healthcare Security Administration said on Thursday.

The current list of five types of chronic and specific diseases included in the scheme will be extended to an additional three to five more to benefit a larger group, said Long Xuewen, an official with the administration.

"In addition to enlarging the scope of diseases, this year will also see more designated hospitals connected to the cross-provincial settlement network," Long said.

Official data shows that the number of such designated hospitals reached 550,400 in 2023, up 68.37 percent from the end of 2022.