Primary health reforms in China since the New Healthcare Reform: Policy, Practice, and Progress

Main Article Content

Yue Xiao Yanchun Zhang Lifang Zhang Alec Morton Jiangmei Qin Chunmei Lin

Abstract

In 2009, China launched a new round of radical healthcare system reforms, with primary health as a key area. Great progress and good outcomes have been made in promoting primary health which have helped to form the typical model and experience of primary health in China in its current development stage. Based on literature analysis and case study, this paper reviewed the history of primary health care in China since the latest round of healthcare system reforms, summarized the practices and outcomes of initiating institutional reforms, enhancing health capacity, improving care delivery, and building the system, so as to provide some experiences for the international comparison. In the face of the new situation of population aging and changes in the spectrum of diseases, China's primary health care is still facing problems and challenges such as unbalanced development, weak service capacity, weak talent team, and the lack of a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system. Considering the actual situation of primary health in China and looking ahead, next step five areas need be reinforced.

Keywords: Primary health care, Effectiveness, China

Article Details

How to Cite
XIAO, Yue et al. Primary health reforms in China since the New Healthcare Reform: Policy, Practice, and Progress. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 8, aug. 2024. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5574>. Date accessed: 06 sep. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i8.5574.
Section
Research Articles

References

1. Zhang D, Unschuld PU. China's barefoot doctor: past, present, and future. Lancet. 2008;372(9653):1865-1867. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61355-0.
2. Jiang Yu. The New Great Power's Road- The history and future of china's path. Beijing: Citic Press; 2019.
3. Liang Zhang,Yiqin Xing,Xiwang Ma. The theoretical logic,historical evolution, And future path of the modernization of grassroots medical and healthcare system. Journal of Social Sciences Research. 2023(04):111-121.
4. Hesheng Wang. Guided by the Healthy China Goal, we will fight the tough battle of health reform. Qiushi, June,2017. Accessed April 26, 2024. http://www.qstheory.cn/dukan/qs/2017-03/16/c_1120634470.htm
5. Lifang Zhang, Yanchun Zhang, Chunmei Lin, Jiangmei Qin. Policy review and analysis of comprehensive reform of primary health care in China.Policy review and analysis of comprehensive reform of primary health care in China. Chinese Health Economics. 2018;37(01):12-16. doi:10.7664/CHE20180103.
6. Central Government of the People's Republic of China. Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and The State Council on Deepening the Reform of the Medical and Health Care System. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2009/content_1284372.htm
7. Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. Implementation Opinions on Establishing a national Essential drugs system. Accessed March 24, 2024. https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2010/content_1547222.htm
8. Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. Views on promoting the progressive equalization of basic public health services. Accessed July 6, 2024. https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2010/content_1555969.htm
9. General Office of the State Council. Opinions on establishing and improving the compensation mechanism of grassroots medical and health institutions. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2010-12/14/content_6178.htm
10. General Office of the State Council. Opinions on consolidating and improving the system of essential drugs and the new mechanism for community-level operation. Accessed May 17, 2024.
https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2013-02/20/content_6109.htm
11. General Office of the State Council. Guiding Opinions on promoting the construction of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system. Accessed May 6, 2024. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2015-09/11/content_10158.htm
12. Medical Reform Office of The State Council. Notice on issuing guidelines on Promoting contracted services for family doctors. Accessed April 20, 2024.
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/tigs/s3577/201606/e3e7d2670a8b4163b1fe8e409c7887af.shtml
13. National Health Commission. Notice on launching the "Quality Service grassroots Line" activity. Accessed May 22, 2024.
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/jws/s7882/201809/d77cd05877b84909b0bd0e8b92a3e5f8.shtml
14. National Health Commission. Notice on promoting the construction of a compact county medical and Health Community. Accessed June 3, 2024.
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/jws/s3580/201905/833cd709c8d346d79dcd774fe81f9d83.shtml
15. National Health Commission. Notice on the construction of comprehensive pilot areas for primary health care. Accessed June 19, 2024.
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/jws/s3581/202108/81f93af8c7d5499683a29591ded9bcbd.shtml
16. National Health Commission. Guiding Opinions on Promoting high-quality development of contracted services for family doctors. Accessed July 5, 2024.
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/jws/s7882/202203/060ecf9a84af443aa349d447c4dfdd31.shtml
17. Central Government of the People's Republic of China. Opinions on Further Deepening reform to Promote the healthy development of rural medical and health system. Accessed June 10, 2024.
https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2023-02/23/content_5742938.htm
18. National Health Commission. Guiding Opinions on Comprehensively promoting the construction of tight county-level medical and Health community. July 1, 2024.
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/jws/s7874/202312/e5d16e73fa324533bcc8f75755844726.shtml
19. Xiao Y, Zhao K, Bishai DM, Peters DH. Essential drugs policy in three rural counties in China: what does a complexity lens add?. Soc Sci Med. 2013;93:220-228. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.09.034.
20. Xiao Y, Husain L, Bloom G. Evaluation and learning in complex, rapidly changing health systems: China's management of health sector reform. Global Health. 2018;14(1):112. doi:10.1186/s12992-018-0429-7.
21. The general office of the people's government of Anhui province. Opinion s of the general office of the people's government of Anhui province on promoting the construction of close-knit county-level integrated medical communities in Anhui province. Accessed April 28, 2024.
https://www.ah.gov.cn/public/1681/564230091.html
22. Bo Zhang. Integration reforms facilitate the high-quality development of medical consortia in Shanxi. Chinese Health. 2024,(03):50-51. doi:10.15973/j.cnki.cn11-3708/d.2024.03.022.
23. Dachao Wang. Luzhou, Sichuan: Painting the Essence and Fusing Spirits, Tightening the Bonds of the Collective. Chinese Health. 2024,(03): 58-59. doi:10.15973/j.cnki.cn11-3708/d.2024.03.027.
24. Guangbao Bo. Suixi. Anhui: Focus on difficult points, Break through bottlenecks, And comprehensively promote the construction of a medical community. Chinese Health. 2024,(03):56-57. doi:10.15973/j.cnki.cn11-3708/d.2024.03.029.
25. 25. Renyuan Wang. Zhejiang: To "three strong" as the goal to build a solid health modernization of the county cornerstone. Chinese Health. 2024,(03):48-49. doi:10.15973/j.cnki.cn11-3708/d.2024.03.020.
26. Yankun Gao, Ji Li. Dancheng Trailblazer:From "strong grassroots" to "grassroots strong". Health Newspaper. March 28, 2024. Accessed April 28, 2024.
https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=9UjK0-enmQiquXvHCmUzluRonvW11Ei6BYcK2bam_0KPdmJ7ddaXdUbM1hZ_i2wzJ12zEFiP0W_RRBpaKTzvdyS_Sn5qKQ6qgCpjzErjaGC1_uZrz2wiU42TFNV3BGN7ZusQyNRowBMYvibTr4iDQ==&uniplatform=NZKPT&language=CHS
27. National Health Commission. Proposal reply. Accessed April 28, 2024.
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/wjw/tia/202310/5a2276571fd9487684f1da40b6e776b5.shtml
28. Najie Lu. The enlightenment of the British NHS reform for promoting the high-quality development of family doctor contract services in China. The Western Academic Journal. 2023(08):57-61. doi:10.16721/j.cnki.cn61-1487/c.2023.08.012.
29. Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission. "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening Public Health Work in County-Level Medical and Health Cooperation Systems". Accessed April 29,2024.
https://www.zj.gov.cn/art/2023/4/18/art_1229019365_2474133.html
30. Xianjun Wang, Zhiyou Tang, Wenmei Yang, Zhi Xiao, Fanfan Tang, Bin Hu. A Study on the "Five-in-One" integrated healthcare management Service model for primary healthcare institutions. Chinese General Medicine. 2020,23(31):3924-3929. doi:10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2020.00.454.
31. Lifang Zhang, Jiangmei Qin,Yanchun Zhang, Chunmei Lin, Yeqing Meng, Mengyuan Tao. A study on the practice and effects of "Public Welfare First-Class Financial Provision, Public Welfare Second-Class Performance Management" implemented in primary healthcare institutions. Chinese General Medicine. 2020,23(01):1-6+13. doi:10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2020.00.093.
32. Chunlei Nie,Wei Fu,Ge Gan, et al. 2022 typical case of comprehensive reform of primary health care. Beijing: People's Health Publishing House; 2022.
33. Jiangmei Qin,Chunmei Lin,Yanchun Zhang, Lifang Zhang. Current situation and challenge of primary health care in China. Chinese General Medicine. 2024,27(16):1917-1923. doi:10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2024.0009
34. Lifang Zhang, Yali Dong, Xin Wang, Yanchun Zhang, Jiangmei Qi. Research on progress and sustainable development of community hospital construction. Chinese health policy research. 2022,15(08):48-53. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-2982.2022.08.008.
35. Li X, Krumholz HM, Yip W, et al. Quality of primary health care in China: challenges and recommendations. Lancet. 2020;395(10239):1802-1812. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30122-7.