China lists tasks for health care reform in 2022

China has listed 21 key tasks for further reform of the medical and health care system in 2022, according to a notice released by the General Office of the State Council on May 25.

To speed up fostering a new and orderly medical service and treatment pattern, national medical centers and high-ranking hospitals at the provincial level will take the lead and play exemplary roles, and service capabilities of hospitals at municipal and county levels and services at primary levels will be improved, according to the document.

It also stressed efforts to further extend the experience gained from the medical and health care reforms in Sanming city, East China's Fujian province. The country will carry out centralized bulk-buying of drugs and high-value medical consumables, working to have more than 350 medications included in national or regional procurement programs in each province.

Reform on medical service prices will be advanced. By the end of June 2022, all provinces will publish documents concerning establishment of a dynamic adjustment mechanism for medical service prices and remove medical service prices from the list of cost supervision, examination and price hearings by the end of the year. Public hospitals will further reform their human resources and remuneration system.

Further medical insurance payment reform will promote multiple and diversified payment methods, with payment by disease type as an option.

The document also stressed better public health services to improve disease prevention and control with better capacity in monitoring and early warning for major epidemics, epidemiological investigation, source tracing and emergency responses.

It also called for coordinated efforts to integrate prevention with medical treatment, with screening and intervention programs promoted for major chronic diseases such as cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

As for COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control work, China will adhere to the dynamic zero-COVID policy and stringently curb imported cases and prevent any resurgence of local cases at minimal cost.

Pushing forward the Healthy China Initiative, comprehensive reform and high-quality development of public hospitals and increasing government input and stimulus are also emphasized in the document.

It also promoted development of a multi-tiered medical insurance system, coordination of basic medical insurance at provincial levels and improvement for direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses. At least one designated medical institution in each county will be able to provide direct inter-provincial settlement of medical expense.

To guarantee medicine supply, work will be done to accelerate the introduction of new medicines of clinical value, promote quality and efficacy evaluation of generic drugs, construct production bases for rare drugs and guarantee supply of drugs for rare diseases.

The document also stressed revitalization and development of traditional Chinese medicines.