Li Bin: Deepening the Reform of the Medical and Health Care System

(en.nhfpc.gov.cn)

Updated: 2014-08-24

II. Understanding the Key Principles for the Deepening of the Medical and Health Care Reform

To carry out the reform of the medical and health care system, we must proceed, on the basis of the national conditions, from the realities in everything we are going to do. We must adhere to the guiding principles of the reform and constantly improve the quality and standard of our efforts to deepen the health care reform.

1. Adhering to Efforts to Promoting Equity and Improving Efficiency

Health equity is the fundamental requirement of the socialist system, as health is public welfare by nature. In the process of deepening the health care reform, the promotion of health equity should be highlighted by prioritizing the guarantee of basic health care, striving for equity and fairness, and enabling everyone to reap the benefits brought about by the health care reform. In terms of investment and policies, much favorable input should go to rural areas, communities, areas with poor financial situations, the central areas and the western regions to change the unreasonable distribution of medical and health care resources. At the same time, attention must be paid to efficiency. On the one hand, a scientific check and assessment system should be established to revitalize the medical and health care institutions; on the other hand, we must make every penny count and make scientific budgets invest their limited capital in the most important areas and the groups with the biggest needs. That way, limited input will bring about greater output.

2. Relying on Governmental Guidance and Introducing the Market Mechanism

To constantly deepen the health care reform, we must correctly handle the relationship between “the basics” and “the non-basics” and bring into full play the enthusiasm of the government and the enthusiasm of the market. The government should take the basic responsibilities to strive for equalization. As far as the general public’s needs are concerned, we must act according to our true capabilities so that the efforts to guarantee the provision of basic health care will be suitable to the level of socioeconomic development. Moreover, we should realize that, in a socialist market economy, it is impossible for the government to meet the multi-layered and diversified health care needs of the general public. This means that, at the same time we strengthen the dominant role of the government, efforts should be made to bring into full play various market players and social organizations, thus establishing a system in which multiple parties participate in providing medical and health care services and making greater efforts to mobilize social forces to support the development of the health care sector.

3. System Building and Innovation in Institutions & Mechanisms

A good system is of fundamental importance to the development of any undertaking, and the system should be bettered to become more comprehensive and long-term minded. In the new round of health care reform, it has been made clear that basic medical and health care should be provided for all Chinese people as a public good, which is a great innovation in philosophy and institutions. In the first four years, we highlighted the establishment of the universal basic medical insurance system, the essential drug system and the new operational mechanism for medical and health care institutions at the grass-root level. Currently, the health care reform has entered into a new stage. We need to shift our focuses from laying a good foundation to improving its quality, from coming up with a framework to building the system. That means that we should further emancipate our minds, make bold experiment and constantly promote innovations in thinking, systems, management and development models so as to gradually establish a basic health care system that conforms to the national conditions and benefits all the people.