URUMQI, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has allocated close to 3 billion yuan (434.2 million U.S. dollars) in funds into the health sector of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an official said Thursday.

Wang Hesheng, deputy director of the National Health Commission, said at a meeting in Xinjiang that since the 13th five-year plan began two years ago, the money has been transferred to 345 health-related projects in the region.

Wang said that the government efforts to improve Xinjiang's health sector has paid off and that the health of locals has been guaranteed.

Meanwhile, 19 provinces and cities have given more than 2.1 billion yuan in funds to help with more than 2,600 projects in Xinjiang in the past two years.