BEIJING (AP)--Public hospitals in China should focus on providing affordable care for everyone, and not just on catering to the demands of the wealthy minority, the country's health minister said, according to state media Sunday.

Hospitals are spending too much public money on trying to keep pace with developed countries by buying expensive medical equipment and offering exclusive services that few can afford, Health Minister Gao Qiang said at a national health conference Saturday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

"This year the Ministry of Health will tighten the control over the expansion of large hospitals and their purchasing of large equipment with bank loans and public funds," Gao said, according to Xinhua.

He urged hospitals and local health authorities to focus on providing care to the less well off: farmers, the unemployed, migrant workers, the elderly and children.

Since China started to reform its health system more than 20 years ago, millions of people, especially those in the rural areas, complain they can no longer afford to see a doctor.

State media have reported that catastrophic illnesses and injuries are often the single biggest cause of families falling into poverty.

"The patients with financial difficulties or in critical condition must be treated first instead of being charged first," Gao said.

He also said that luxury beds at public hospitals should account for no more than 10% of the total.

Many hospitals have increasingly focused on profits since the hospital reform slashed funding to hundreds of hospitals.

Most hospitals rely on drug sales for the bulk of their revenue - a key factor behind the overuse of antibiotics and other medications - and many also order expensive, unnecessary tests and surgical procedures to help boost fees.

Gao said that rooting out bribery in the health sector and cracking down on abuse of power among health officials would be key priorities for the coming year.

He said health officials who become corrupt and neglect their duties should be punished without mercy, according to Xinhua.

In 2005, more than 1,200 people were punished for taking millions of dollars in kickbacks from drugs companies and patients, Xinhua reported.

Last year, 179 cases of illegal buying and selling medicine involving 10.99 million yuan ($1.36 million) were referred to the judiciary, Xinhua quoted Li Xi, head of the discipline inspection team in the Ministry of Health, as saying at the conference.

Another 142 health workers were punished for taking commissions from patients for performing operations, and 824 people were punished for charging illegal medical fees, totaling about CNY3.99 million, Li told the conference.

Xinhua did not say what punishments those involved received.