The national primary health work conference is held on Jan 29 in Beijing.

China’s national health watchdog will keep promoting primary health in 2018, according to a work conference on Jan 29.

At the national primary health work conference held in Beijing, Ma Xiaowei, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said that the overall health service, including the service of family doctors and the level of public health, kept improving in 2017.

Ma said more efforts will be made in 2018 to build a stronger team of medical staff at the grassroots level and medical institutions at such levels will be more standardized.

Representatives from model health clinics in towns, townships and local communities and outstanding family doctor teams receive awards at the conference.

He also called for continued improvement in the performance-based salary system and enhancement of the building of the medical treatment alliance.

In addition, more detailed and pragmatic measures will be carried out to provide family doctor service at the grassroots level to give the public a greater sense of gain, according to Ma.

He also emphasized stepping-up of information system construction and application at the grassroots level.

He called for improving the new rural cooperative medical care system and especially the long-distance medical treatment network settlement and payment reform in 2018.