ABSTRACT

Safeguarding people’s rights to and interests in health is integral to China’s socioeconomic development. Establishing a healthcare system in line with public demands and China’s level of socioeconomic development, focused on constantly improving the quality and performance of the system, are the current goals of Chinese healthcare. It is a common challenge for all countries to strike a balance between the improvement of quality and the control of costs. In pursuing this goal, China is promoting comprehensive healthcare reform. It is accelerating improvements to its universal medical insurance system, strengthening and improving the essential drug system, and the new operating mechanisms of grassroots health facilities. It is also actively promoting public hospital reform and equality in essential public health services. The Government has developed the medium-and long-term strategic plan for the development of the health service industry, with the goal of covering the entire lifetime of people with wideranging services within a rational structure, constantly increasing health resources, reducing service costs, and improving service quality.