The city of Xiamen plans to go ahead with its healthcare reforms this year by raising the salaries of grassroots staff and improving equipment, according to Yang Shuyu, a health and family planning commission official, on March 5.

Yang told a conference that the “the reform will benefit medical staff and increase their enthusiasm since many of them have lower incomes and a lot of pressure.”

The reform includes a more rational reimbursement policy for medical bills covered by insurance, more things covered by a reimbursement for someone transferred to a different hospital in the city.

In addition, service and pharmacy fees at grassroots medical institutions will be integrated and, in the case of medical equipment, there will be subsidies for public hospitals based on their performance and the hiring of more doctors to cope with the growing demand.