(Yicai) July 1 -- People who pay for individual medical insurance cover in Beijing can purchase non-prescription drugs at designated pharmacies on e-commerce platforms Meituan and JD.com from today, according to the capital city’s medical insurance bureau.

Customers can select drugs labeled ‘medical insurance’ from 300 pharmacies on the two platforms and then opt to pay using the ‘individual medical insurance account’ option, Yicai learned. But delivery and packaging fees are charged separately.

Family members can use each other’s medical insurance accounts to buy drugs online. And the platforms provide a price comparison function, so people can choose which store to use based on price and distance.

Online orders have surged today since people started to be allowed to purchase drugs online using their personal medical insurance accounts, said a pharmacist.

Beijing is the third city to allow such purchases, after Shanghai and Shenyang. China's medical insurance program is divided into social pooling accounts, which is paid by businesses, and personal accounts, which is paid by the individual.

Letting people buy medicines online using their individual medical insurance accounts mainly makes purchases more convenient, said Zhao Heng, founder of Latitude Health, a healthcare strategy consulting firm. Although sales have increased, the move is not so favorable for pharmacies as it only supports personal insurance policies.

Only non-prescription drugs can be bought online using individual medical insurance accounts, the Beijing Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau said. To buy prescription drugs, medical insurance holders should use internet hospitals. Some 117 hospitals support medical insurance mobile payments.

Editor: Kim Taylor