BEIJING, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to provide free medical treatment to sickened babies in the tainted milk powder scandal, said Mao Qun'an, spokesman of the Ministry of Health on Thursday.

    Mao said those who remained in designated hospitals for treatment of kidney stones or other urinary problems after drinking melamine-tainted milk will continue to receive free treatment.

    "Children under three years old, who drank tainted milk and had disease symptoms, could still come to local hospitals for check-ups and would receive free treatment if diagnosed with stones in the urinary system," the spokesman said.

    He said that statistics from hospitals across the country and epidemic sample surveys showed that most of the affected babies have been diagnosed and treated. There were no new cases reported in most areas and no serious cases were reported.

    "This shows that the nationwide screening for sickened children has basically come to an end," he said.

    The ministry said that at least one hospital should remain designated for each county-level area to diagnose and treat sickened babies. Children who were diagnosed with serious diseases will receive consultations and guidance from provincial medical experts' committees.

    Six babies died and more than 290,000 infants suffered from urinary problems such as kidney stones in the country's tainted dairy scandal, which was exposed in September 2008.

    Sanlu, the dairy producer at the center of the scandal, and other 21 firms implicated in the scandal decided to set up a compensation fund for the victims, according to the China Dairy Industry Association.