Meeting China's Rural Health Challenges

Health care costs in China are increasing rapidly, deterring use of facilities, and often putting households who do use services at financial risk. To complicate matters, there is growing evidence that much of the care Chinese citizens do receive is medically unnecessary. 

Addressing these and other challenges is the focus of a joint World Bank-Government study of China's rural health sector.

This work -- referred to as the China Rural Health AAA (Analytical and Advisory Activities) -- focuses on how health reform can improve health outcomes, reduce inequalities in access to health care, and improve financial protection in health in rural China. The Bank team is collaborating with different government agencies to develop the evidence-base for policy making for the rural health sector. The work covers issues of health financing and insurance, health-related safety nets, service delivery, public spending on health, and public health.

A series of Rural Health Briefing Notes has been produced that describe the key issues to be addressed in selected areas where reforms are needed. Briefing Note 3 (China's Health Sector - Why Reform is Needed), for example, presents an overview of the major policy challenges while Briefing Note 6 (Rural Health Insurance: Rising to the Challenge) sets out the challenges of offering effective and sustainable rural health insurance coverage. The Briefing Notes have been condensed from Critical Reviews, documents that provide in-depth examinations of areas of the rural health sector where the government is seeking to introduce reforms, e.g., in the organization and management of health service delivery. These and other type of documents can be found on the China Rural Health Study Publications and Reports page.

A final report, which will bring the various analytical and policy sections of this analytical work together in a set of recommendations to the government, is being produced in collaboration with an inter-ministerial working group comprised of representatives from the key ministries involved in formulating policies for the health sector. Future Briefing Notes as well as other products of these analytical and advisory activities will be posted on this site as they emerge.

More information:
  China Rural Health Study Publications and Reports
  China website