Chinese shares gained Tuesday, led by strong performance in the healthcare sector.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went up 0.26 percent to close at 3,382.99 points while the Shenzhen Component Index gained 0.58 percent to close at 11,329.51 points.

Total turnover on the two bourses stood at 542.3 billion yuan (about 81.83 billion U.S. dollars), up from 538.3 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Stocks in the healthcare sector were among the biggest winners, with medical device makers Guangzhou Improve Medical Instruments and Andon Health surging by the daily limit of 10 percent.

BGI Genomics, a gene sequencing firm, saw its shares up 8.41 percent.

The gain came after a State Council executive meeting Monday decided to carry forward public hospital reform to optimize medical care resources for public health.

Recently listed companies also saw strong performances while small-cap firms registered widespread gains.

The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, jumped 1.46 percent to close at 1,917.46 points.