21st Century Business Herald:

Communities are the primary level where medical and health needs must be satisfied. Health institutions at the community level are critical to solving the most pressing difficulties and problems that greatly concern people when they seek medical services. Over the years, what achievements has China secured in community-level healthcare services? Thank you.

Zhu Hongbiao:

Thank you for your question. Enhancing medical services at the community level is always the top priority of health work. In recent years, the capacity for disease prevention, treatment and health management at the community level has been continuously improved.

First, the medical and health network has covered all communities, with more accessible services. By the end of last year, China had nearly 980,000 community-level medical and health institutions, including 35,000 township health centers, 599,000 village clinics, and 36,000 community health service centers and stations.

Second, the service capacity has been continuously enhanced, gaining increasing recognition from residents. The standards for service capacity have been set and infrastructure has been improved. In 2021, community-level medical and health institutions recorded 4.25 billion medical visits, accounting for 50.2% of the national total.

Third, the number of community-level health workers has increased substantially, with the structure constantly refined. Over the past decade, the total number of staff in community-level medical and health institutions has risen from 3.44 million to 4.43 million. The proportion of licensed and assistant doctors among village doctors has risen from 18.5% to 41.5%. Steady progress has been made in contracted family doctor services, contacts and communication between doctors and patients have been strengthened, and health education and guidance have been enhanced.

Fourth, basic public health services have been improved and expanded with fairer access. Per capita subsidy for basic public health services has risen from 25 yuan in 2012 to 84 yuan now. The services undertaken by community-level institutes have expanded from 10 to 12 categories. We now receive over one billion medial visits annually from patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, TB, and other major diseases, as well as members of key groups as children aged 0-6, pregnant women, and those aged 65 and above. Such services have helped improve the health of urban and rural residents. Thank you. 

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