BEIJING, April 7 -- China has unveiled a
long-awaited blueprint for reform to ensure fair and affordable health care for
all 1.3 billion citizens.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
and the State Council, or Cabinet, jointly endorsed and issued the Guidelines on
Deepening the Reform of the Health-care System. The announcement followed more
than two years of intense debate and revisions.
By 2020, China will provide "safe, effective,
convenient and affordable" health services to urban and rural residents, the
document said.
It will be supplemented by an implementation plan
running through 2011 that will cost about 850 billion yuan (about 124 billion
U.S. dollars).
The main aim is to provide basic health care as a
"public service." It will aim to solve "pressing problems that have caused
strong complaints from the public" about high costs and lack of service.
Public hospitals will remain the dominant providers
of medical services, while grassroots-level hospitals and clinics will be
developed in cities and rural areas.
The government also aims to have medical insurance
systems that will cover all urban and rural residents.
Also, the drug supply system will ensure that public
hospitals and clinics have essential medicines at regulated prices.
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from
Beijing.
China to tackle rural medical staff
shortages under 2009-2011 plan
BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China will deal with shortages of medical staff in
underdeveloped rural areas under medical system reform plans published here
Tuesday.
In the reform plan for 2009-2011, China pledged to offer
about 1.9 million training sessions for village and township medical clinics and
urban community medical institutions over the next three years.Full story
China unveils action plan for universal access to basic
health care
BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China unveiled a three-year
action plan on health care reform Tuesday, which it said would lay a solid
foundation for equitable and universal access to essential health care for all
in China.
Under the 850 billion yuan (124 billion U.S. dollar) plan
for 2009 to 2011, the government promised universal access to basic health
insurance, introduction of an essential drug system, improved primary health
care facilities, equitable access to basic public health services and pilot
reform of state-run hospitals. Full story
China steps up reforms to improve
health care for urban, rural
residents
BEIJING, April 6
(Xinhua) -- China will promote health-care reform in four areas -- public health
services, medical treatment, medical insurance and drug supply -- for both urban
and rural residents, according to a central government document released on
Monday.
The reforms will make health-care more convenient and
affordable and narrow the urban and rural gap, said the reform guidelines,
jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
and the State Council. Full story
Backgrounder: Chronology of
China's health-care reform
