China facing burden from chronic diseases

China faces a growing burden on its healthcare industry as the number of people with chronic diseases rises, the government said. The Health Ministry said in a report that 260 million Chinese suffer from chronic diseases, an increase of 4.9% compared to 2003. The figure has been increasing by an average of 10 million every year for the last decade, the agency said. The government found that cases of heart disease and cancer had doubled, while cases of hypertension and diabetes had tripled.