Grassroots healthcare system key to Healthy China

Editor's note: Health News spoke to Hou Wanjun, a researcher of development with Zhejiang University, about the progress of China's healthcare system and the priorities to further improve its performance during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

In recent years, China's primary healthcare system has achieved leapfrog development, delivering sound health outcomes.

Primary healthcare institutions are shifting their focus from disease treatment to health promotion. Their services are becoming more proactive. Today, primary healthcare integrates prevention, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, chronic disease management, health promotion and psychological support, forming a full-life-cycle health service continuum.

The 15th Five-Year Plan period will be critical for building a Healthy China, with priorities and major challenges in primary healthcare.

Thus, the country needs to further improve the primary healthcare system and strengthen the coordination of the institutions. It should enhance the rural healthcare system which is led by county-level hospitals and supported by township health centers and village clinics.

The spatial layout of the institutions should be adjusted in response to demographic changes. The institutions should provide not only fixed-site but also mobile primary healthcare services, and a five-tier mobile service system covering national, provincial, city, county and township levels should be developed. The country should continue to build medical consortia in counties, where county-level hospitals, township health centers and village clinics collaborate closely with one another.

The country also needs to improve its rehabilitation and nursing service network, where secondary hospitals act as the main service provider, primary healthcare institutions serve as the foundation, and tertiary hospitals offer guidance and assistance. Efforts should be accelerated to expand rehabilitation and nursing services at the grassroots level.

In order to further improve primary healthcare facilities' capacity and address workforce shortages, the country needs to continue to implement the free training program for rural medical students and the special program which encourages medical graduates to work as village doctors.

Primary healthcare providers should focus on key groups, including disabled seniors and other people with disabilities, and roll out integrated rehabilitation services that involve hospitals, communities and homes. They should also continue their digital and intelligent transformation, enable shared access to electronic medical and health records, and try to develop artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis and treatment.

In addition, the investment mechanism should be improved, combining investment in physical assets with investment in human capital, to guarantee effective operation of primary healthcare facilities.