The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced yesterday that it
will conduct a nationwide inspection on price cuts on 22 categories
of drugs and medical institutions' service charges.
The cuts were aimed to prevent kickbacks and
relieve high medical costs, key complaints of the Chinese people,
said an NDRC official.
On September 28, the commission decided to lower
the upper limit on the retail prices of 22 categories of medicines,
and the new rules came into effect today.
The prices of more than 400 products are expected
to fall an average of 40 percent, a move that Xinhua News Agency
reported has the potential to save consumers about 4 billion yuan
(US$494 million).
The NDRC said its inspection would be conducted
among medicine producers and sellers, medical institutions, and
disease prevention and control centers. When it would be carried
out was not reported.
(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2005)