BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's key health news from the past week:

-- 2,022 deaths from infectious diseases in May

A total of 2,022 people died of infectious diseases on the Chinese mainland in May 2019 and there were 937,741 cases of infectious diseases reported on the mainland in May.

No cases of Class A infectious diseases were reported in May, which are the most serious classification in China's Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, including cholera and the plague.

-- 1.32 mln interprovincial medical bills settled in 2018

People covered by medical insurance but seeking treatment not in places where their accounts are registered had 1.32 million bills settled on-the-spot last year, thanks to a policy of interprovincial settlement. The number was 6.3 times the 2017 figure.

China has vowed to push for the implementation of interprovincial on-the-spot settlement of medical bills, which enables patients to use their medical insurance cards for medical treatment in designated hospitals and settle the bills straight away despite the locality.

The implementation of the policy is aimed at providing convenience particularly for the migrant population and for elderly people who have relocated.

-- Psychological care program targeting elderly

China has introduced a two-year pilot program to find out the psychological conditions and needs of senior citizens at the primary level.

Covering 1,600 urban communities and 320 villages, the pilot program targets permanent residents aged 65 or above.

Under the program, psychological assessment is carried out based on the personal will of the elderly and necessary mental interventions and suggestions of medical treatment would be offered depending on the results. Enditem

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