China is set to deepen its medical and healthcare reforms in 2024, aiming to provide better and more accessible public medical services, particularly at the primary level. This initiative is part of a broader effort to reduce the financial burden on patients and ensure that quality healthcare is within everyone's reach.
At a recent national conference focused on health development and healthcare reform, policymakers and healthcare practitioners outlined several key areas of focus, including public hospital reforms, drug supply enhancements, and improvements to medical insurance systems.
The government has released a comprehensive list of healthcare reform tasks for the upcoming year. These tasks include strengthening public healthcare services, advancing the development of public hospitals, and implementing drug reforms to ensure affordability and accessibility.
One of the primary goals is to boost the capacity of public healthcare services at the primary level. This will involve significant changes to the payment systems within public hospitals and enhancements to healthcare insurance to better meet the needs of the population while lowering medical costs.
Additionally, the 2024 reforms will place greater emphasis on medical technological advancements, multi-tiered diagnosis and treatment strategies, and the digitalization of healthcare services. Zhu Hongbiao, an official with the National Health Commission, highlighted these priorities during the conference.
Addressing the high cost of medical care remains a critical aspect of China's healthcare reform. Since 2018, China has initiated nine rounds of bulk drug procurement programs and has progressively expanded the price reform of medical services to alleviate financial pressures on patients.
This year, the bulk purchase program is expected to include 500 medications, and pilot price reforms for medical services will be conducted in three provincial-level regions. These measures are anticipated to make significant strides in making healthcare more affordable and accessible for all.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
