ABSTRACT
An overview of the evolving health system during 1949-76 demonstrates a movement that emphasized the concept of equality and universalism, even if its immediate realization was difficult to achieve. This chapter traces the development of health governance in the Mao era, with particular attention dedicated to the interplay between political institutions, the health policy process, and the evolving health system. The Mao era is divided into three periods: the early post-revolution period, the Great Leap Forward and afterwards, and the Cultural Revolution epoch. By incorporating social and political measures in expanding disease prevention and healthcare provision, China seemed to be able to offer a much more effective health program than the Western entrepreneurial model which relies primarily on treatment and highly trained health professionals. Political institutions proved crucial in determining the content and form of the country's health policy as well as the pattern of policy implementation, which in turn affected the cost, access, efficiency, and quality of healthcare.
