China accelerates development of county-level medical consortia

A nurse collects blood at a children's outpatient service of a hospital in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 24, 2023. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has released a comprehensive set of guidelines to expedite the development of closely integrated medical and health consortia at the county level, with the intent of enhancing grassroots medical services.

The document was issued by 10 government agencies, including the National Health Commission (NHC). It outlines the establishment of these consortia, led by county-level hospitals and comprising various medical and health institutions at the county, township and community levels.

Recognizing the pivotal role of county-level medical consortia in the ongoing healthcare reform in China, the document emphasizes their significance in addressing deficiencies in grassroots medical services while meeting the public's expectations for local, accessible and quality healthcare.

According to the NHC's primary health department, the creation of these closely integrated medical consortia involves the strategic reorganization of medical and health resources within counties.

Building on the insights gleaned from prior pilot initiatives, the goal is to ensure that common diseases are treated at the city or county level while routine health concerns are managed at the grassroots level.

China aims to complete the establishment of these medical consortia at the county level by the end of 2027, per the guidelines.