SHANGHAI — China pledged to expand medical insurance and build thousands of hospitals and clinics over three years, the first steps in a 10-year plan to repair an ailing health-care system that has fueled popular discontent.

On Tuesday, the State Council, China’s cabinet, offered details on the $120-billion-plus initial phase of the revamp, which it outlined in January. Among the plans: a construction surge that by 2011 will give every village a medical clinic and every county at least one hospital.

The government and ruling Communist Party are trumpeting the blueprint with a major public-relations push, signaling the political importance of rebuilding a social safety net that was largely dismantled during the country’s shift to a market economy over the past 30 years.

Tags: Economy, Government, Health care

This entry was posted on March 23, 2011 at 11:12 pm and is filed under China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.