Charity fund for children sets fee collection dates

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

The premium for children younger than 5 years old is 150 yuan (US$20.87) and for those aged 6 and older it is 130 yuan.

Kindergarten and school pupils can join the fund by paying the premium at their kindergarten or school, while parents of at-home children can pay at the neighborhood health center where the child's residency is located.

Parents of children younger than 2 years old also can pay through the government-run Suishenban app, or Alipay.

The fund, which was established in 1996, is a charity fund that helps cover children's hospitalization and outpatient services in cases of serious disease.

Some 2.3 million children participate in the fund each year. By May, it had paid out 3.53 billion yuan to cover 2.29 million bills for hospitalization and outpatient treatments.

Expat children can also participate through their schools. More information is available on the website (www.redcross-sha.org.cn) or the Red Cross' public WeChat account (shanghairedcross).