BEIJING -- A total of 2.03 million Chinese enjoyed the direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses by the end of March, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration.

The direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses allows any patient enrolled in the public medical insurance system to be reimbursed for medical and inpatient expenses, no matter where they are treated. The policy was put into effect in January 2017.

Before the national reimbursement network was set up, patients had to return to the locality where they were enrolled to be reimbursed.

The public medical insurance spent 28.51 billion yuan (4.23 billion US dollars) for the direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses, covering 58.7 percent of the total expenses for the 2.03 million people, the administration said.

The administration vowed to further streamline administration and facilitate registration so as to cover migrant workers and entrepreneurs.