The NHFPC recently issued the Notice of Launching the Demonstration Project of High Quality Healthcare Service for Children and Women, which required China’s local health departments to actively launch healthcare service projects for women and children.

The demonstration project could promote the quality and management level of healthcare services for women and children, improving the fairness and accessibility of healthcare service, said the notice.

The demonstration project has 10 aspects, according to the notice. First, the local governments should put the healthcare of children and women in their social and economic development plans. Several important indicators, such as maternal death rates and newborn death rates, should be included as targets set for the government performance assessment.

Second, the government should provide a series of healthcare services from birth to death, covering physical and psychological services as well as health management.

Third, supporting measures should be strengthened for healthcare service. To integrate the resources of healthcare service, it should ensure facilities for providing service, basic equipment, personnel and funds, and technical support staff.

Fourth, standards and regulations of healthcare service should be improved. Medical institutions should establish management regulations and working standards for maternity departments, newborn departments and family planning.

Fifth, daily supervision should be strengthened in this area. Supervision of the technology of maternal and infant healthcare, as well as family planning, should be put under comprehensive law enforcement. A system of regular checks and selective checks should be established.

Sixth, the service should be improved continuously. The satisfaction survey among residents should be conducted in order to better meet needs and improve the service.

Seventh, service quality should be guaranteed. An emergency center for maternity and medical center for newborns should be established in different regions. Caesarean birth rates should be controlled at a reasonable level. Breast-feeding should be promoted.

Eighth, tasks should be finished in a comprehensive way. The target of lowering the maternity death rate, newborn death rate and death rate of children under five should be met. Major public healthcare programs such as a subsidies for maternity in rural areas should be implemented according to standards.

Ninth, medical departments and institutions should actively accept supervision from the public. Hospital administration affairs should be open to the public, with a complaint channel set up for patients.

Tenth, a good image should be established for the healthcare sector. The work ethics of the sector should be promoted, with increased publicity of model healthcare workers for children and women.