On June 28, the national video and teleconference on healthcare reform was held, and Premier Li Keqiang gave important instructions that required all local governments and departments concerned to regard the advancement of healthcare reform as one of the most important tasks in guaranteeing and improving people’s livelihood. Among the present was Liu Yandong, committee member of the CPC Central Politburo, vice-premier of the State Council and leader of the Leading Group Office of Deepening Healthcare System Reform at the State Council. Liu stressed that new breakthroughs had to be made in promoting healthcare reform. On December 30, the NHFPC and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine printed and issued the Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Privately-Run Medical Services, which stipulates that the development of privately-run medical services was to be accelerated, the abilities of private medical service providers were to be improved, and supervision of such providers was to be strengthened. Under the leadership of Party committees and the people’s government at all levels, local departments concerned actively promoted all work related to the deepening of health care reform.

In 2013, more than 900 counties in the whole country started comprehensive reform with the key link being abolishment of the markup of drug prices to make up for the shortfall in hospital funds. The Opinions on the Consolidation and Improvement of the System of Essential Drugs and the New Operation Mechanism at the Community Level issued by the State Council General Office were implemented all over the country, and the comprehensive reform focused on the efforts to have a new mechanism by inputting more funding and produced progressive results. The field investigation at grassroots units indicated that 87 percent of patients reported that the high cost of getting medical services at grassroots units had been reduced somewhat, and 80 percent of medical staff at grassroots units reported that their enthusiasm for work had been aroused.

3. While persisting in the basic national policy of family planning, a policy that married couples can have two children if one of the parents is a single child was launched. On November 12, 2013, the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was published in full. It was made clear that “while persisting in the basic national policy of family planning, we will initiate a policy that married couples can have two children if one of the parents is a single child, and gradually adjust and improve the birth policy to promote balanced population growth in the long run.” On December 21, the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council printed and issued the Opinions on Adjusting and Improving the Birth Policy, in which the great significance of adjusting and improving the birth policy and the general idea for it were made clear. It was required that the basic national policy of family planning should be adhered to and all work should be advanced in a steady, down-to-earth and orderly way. Supplementary measures should also be improved.