Basic Health Service Network

China had an excellent social healthcare system in the 1960s and 1970s. As the economy became more market driven, hospitals were forced to turn their attention to moneymaking rather than providing care. The population migration to more developed areas in seeking better pay, in addition to a longer lifespan, weakened the health professional base, especially in basic care and in rural areas.

The new healthcare reform program is aimed at rebuilding fundamental healthcare at the very basic level. By 2011, the plan is to refurbish or build new lower-level health centers, to train doctors and nurses for these facilities, gradually equip these facilities with necessary equipment through government funding and establish patient referral and transfer systems to higher-level hospitals.

According to statistics by China’s Ministry of Health, there were 288,273 basic health centers and clinics at the end of 2008. These centers and clinics, along with county hospitals, are the direct beneficiaries of the new health reform program. More county-level hospitals will be set up by 2011 to reach the goal of 0.6-1.2 beds per 1,000 population.