Opinions on speeding up non-public investment in health development

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-06-10

National Health and Family Planning Commission, P.R.C 2014-01-09

No. 54 document in 2013 promulgated by Department of Health System Restructuring, NHFPC, P.R.C

Health and family planning commissions (health departments) in provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government; the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

Speeding up non-public investment in health development is integral to deepening medical and health system reform and promoting health services development. It is an important measure to shift the health development pattern and optimize health resources allocation. It is an important way to increase health resources supply and meet the people’s demand for diversified and multi-level medical and health services. To further implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the State Council’s Opinions on Promoting Health Services Development (No. 40, 2013), and solve prominent problems and difficulties in speeding up the non-public investment in health development, we put forward the following opinions.

1. Overall requirements

Health and family planning and traditional Chinese medicine administrative departments at all levels should transform their functions, fulfill their responsibilities, strengthen guidance and incorporate non-public investment in health development into the overall regional health plan. Priority should be given to non-public investment in health sectorprivate investment to form a non-public medical system where non-profit medical institutions play a leading role, and for-profit medical institutions play a supporting role. The departments should continue to improve non-public medical management and quality, guide non-public medical institutions towards large-scale and multi-level development, and realize mutually supportive and common development of public and non-public medical institutions.

2. Strengthen planning and guidance

a. Formulate and implement health plan

The national level government shall improve the health resources planning guidance document, compile the National Health Service System Plan (2015-2020), clarify health service system functions, classification configuration requirements and resources allocation guidelines, strengthen function integration and collaboration among regional institutes; and improve supporting measures and the supervision and evaluation mechanism for plan implementation. The provincial governments should formulate the health resource allocation standard based on the national plan and local conditions. Provincial and municipal governments shall formulate and implement the regional health and medical institutions configuration plans, and continue to improve comprehensive medical and health service abilities and resource efficiency.

b. Incorporate non-public investment in health development into overall planning Departments should set aside room for non-public medical institutions in regional health and medical institution plans, and give priority to the needs of non-profit medical institutions. Any financing channels for new health resources should be submitted for approval based on planned requirements and standards.