China will expand its national healthcare insurance programme next year to fully cover all out-of-pocket expenses related to childbirth, according to state media reports.

The pledge to widen the medical insurance coverage was unveiled at a national healthcare security conference in Beijing on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported.

According to a work report delivered by National Healthcare Security Administration director Zhang Ke, the plan will be the centrepiece of a wider fertility initiative aimed at reducing the financial burden on those wishing to grow their families.

“[We will] appropriately improve the level of prenatal medical expense coverage, striving to achieve nationwide launch of ‘no out-of-pocket expenses’ for baby deliveries,” Zhang was quoted as saying.

He also pledged to “reasonably improve” the level of coverage for prenatal check-up expenses and include “appropriate labour analgesia items” in the scope of claims.