Efforts to ease medical costs take effect

 　　BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Medicine prices at public clinics have been notably¹ reduced thanks to a policy that promotes basic medicine, an office of the State Council said Thursday.

　　Current price levels of basic medicine used by government-funded township hospitals and community clinics have been reduced an average of 25 percent from the levels two years ago when the policy started, according to a statement from the State Council office in charge of reforming the country's healthcare program.

　　China has introduced a state list of basic medicine used by government-funded township hospitals and community clinics, which includes roughly 300 types of commonly-used Western and traditional Chinese medicine.

　　Provincial² governments will purchase basic medicine through public bidding and distribute them to local clinics.

　　These clinics must not raise the prices of listed medicine and in return, the government will provide them with subsidies³.

　　The policy has been implemented⁴ at all township and community clinics in all the 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous⁵ regions in the Chinese mainland, the statement said.

1 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

2 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

3 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

5 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。