title: Health care in China: improvement, challenges, and reform.
abstract: Over the past 2 decades, significant progress has been made in improving the health-care system and people's health conditions in China. Following rapid economic growth and social development, China's health-care system is facing new challenges, such as increased health-care demands and expenditure, inefficient use of health-care resources, unsatisfying implementation of disease management guidelines, and inadequate health-care insurance. Facing these challenges, the Chinese government carried out a national health-care reform in 2009. A series of policies were developed and implemented to improve the health-care insurance system, the medical care system, the public health service system, the pharmaceutical supply system, and the health-care institution management system in China. Although these measures have shown promising results, further efforts are needed to achieve the ultimate goal of providing affordable and high-quality care for both urban and rural residents in China. This article not only covers the improvement, challenges, and reform of health care in general in China, but also highlights the status of respiratory medicine-related issues.
authors: Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China; Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Respiratory and Pulmonary Circulation Disorders, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: cyh-birm@263.net.
authors: Chen
authors: C
authors: Wang
authors: Chinese Medical Association, Beijing, China.
authors: Keqin
authors: K
authors: Rao
authors: Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China; Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.
authors: Sinan
authors: S
authors: Wu
authors: Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China.
authors: Qian
authors: Q
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D006040:Goals; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D011634:Public Health / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends