BEIJING, Oct. 22 -- Chinese authorities recovered over 16 billion yuan (2.25 billion U.S. dollars) in misused medical insurance funds during the first nine months of this year, according to official data released on Tuesday.

At a press conference in Beijing, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) announced that it had conducted surprise inspections at more than 500 designated medical institutions participating in the national insurance scheme.

These inspections, aimed at uncovering insurance fraud and misuse, covered all provincial-level regions, the NHSA stated.

The administration pledged additional measures to ensure the security of healthcare funds and prevent future misuse.

These efforts include expanding the scope of surprise inspections, enhancing self-inspection and rectification, strengthening big data monitoring, establishing a long-term regulatory framework, and increasing public exposure of violations.