Premium fee collection starts for kids' hospitalization aid fund

This year's children's hospitalization mutual aid fund will kick off from September 1 to 30, its operator, the Red Cross Society of China's Shanghai branch, said on Wednesday.

The premium for children younger than 5 years old is 150 yuan (US$23.22) and for those aged 6 and older it is 130 yuan.

Students in kindergartens and schools participate in the fund through paying the premium at school, while those staying at home can pay at community health centers where the children's residency is located.

Parents of children younger than 2 years old also can pay through www.shfft.com or public WeChat ezhangdan.

The fund, which was established in 1999, is a charity fund, which helps cover children's hospitalization and outpatient services in cases of serious diseases.

Some 2.2 million children participate in the fund each year. By May, it had paid out 2.99 billion yuan to cover 2.11 million bills for hospitalization and outpatient treatments.

Expat children also can participate through their schools, Red Cross officials said.