Better services planned for old communities

The State Council has encouraged efforts to include community healthcare, elder care and household services facilities in the renovation of old residential communities in an effort to create convenient clusters of services.

The central government will offer financial support and preferential taxation policies to such efforts, the Cabinet said in a statement released after an executive meeting on July 31.

The move is one of several measures being taken to speed up the development of consumption, tap the potential of domestic demand and improve people's quality of life, it said.

The meeting encouraged the use of technologies such as big data, and the development of new business models such as customization services.

The transformation of traditional shopping malls and old factory buildings into multifunction consumer facilities will be encouraged, along with the renovation of pedestrian malls according to local conditions.

As part of efforts to streamline administration, local governments will implement trial measures that will allow brands to register multiple business venues with just one license. Approval for retail sales of refined oil will be delegated to municipal-level governments.

The meeting also called for efforts to expand e-commerce to more rural areas and strengthen weak links in cold chain logistics for farm products.

To facilitate the upgrading of domestic industries and boost consumption, efforts will also be made to attract world-famous brands to launch new products in China, the statement said.

Markups on medical supplies to be canceled

The prices of high-value medical supplies will be controlled as China takes measures to further relieve people of the burden of medical expenses, according to a reform plan published on July 31.

The plan, released by the General Office of the State Council, set a target of canceling markups on the prices of medical consumables in all public medical institutions by the end of this year.

High-value medical supplies, which have strict safety requirements because they are used directly on human bodies, are in great clinical demand, but their relatively high prices impose a heavy burden on patients.

Noting that the public is concerned about the unreasonably high prices and overuse of such items, the plan said a platform for price-monitoring and centralized purchasing will be established and connected to the audit platform for medical insurance payments.

According to the plan, all public medical institutions will be required to conduct centralized purchasing of high-value medical consumables in a transparent way. Their loss of reasonable revenue due to the cancellation of markups will be compensated for through the adjustment of medical service prices and appropriate financial aid.

The plan also requires efforts to regulate medical services and strictly control the unreasonable use of high-value medical consumables. Medical institutions and medical workers that use expensive items extremely frequently will be the focus of monitoring and inspection.

As the regulation of high-value medical consumables is a priority task in the reform of the country's medical and health sectors, related departments and local governments should honestly implement the measures and ensure the stable and orderly advance of the reform, it said.