Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has joined the national trans-provincial medical care platform, allowing citizens covered by the region’s social insurance system to pay medical bills using their social security cards in 10 other provinces, Xinhua reported on March 22.

According to the region’s Department of Human Resources and Social Security, the 10 provinces are Guangdong, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Hebei, Hainan, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Shaanxi and Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Citizens are now able to pay for medicine bills and inpatient costs with their social security card, which provides great convenience to Xinjiang people working and living in those 10 provinces.

With the joint effort of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region government and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, citizens covered by the region’s social insurance system can also pay medical bills in every hospital across the region through the national trans-provincial medical care platform.

Yao Bin, director of the medical security center of the region’s Social Insurance Management Bureau, said that the Xinjiang government will test on each province’s national trans-provincial medical care platform to benefit over 18,000 Xinjiang secured citizens working and living in the 10 provinces.

Edited by Mark Ray