By Zhang Liang & Ge Yanfeng, Research Team on "Research on Improving Tiered Medical Service System", Research Department of Social Development, DRC

Special Issue No. 27, 2017 (Total. 1551) 2017-7-28

Abstract: Since the founding of New China, with the changes of the medical service system and the medical insurance system, China’s tiered medical service system has undergone four different development stages. 1. Prior to the late 1970s, under the influence of the planned management system and the tight rein on the income of the residents, the demand for medical service had been restrained due to a strict tiered medical service system. 2. From the early 1980s to 2003, with the continuous advance of economic system reform, the medical service institutions were transformed into a commercialized operation mode. As a result, the function of medical insurance system was weakened and became gradually phased out, medical service demand was further released, and residents could enjoy better access to local medical services. 3. From 2003 to 2015, along with the change of medical governance, the government began to emphasize tiered medical service. However, the government did not formulate and implement effective measures with clearly-defined targets. Consequently, tiered medical service only remained on paper.4. Since 2015, the government focused on the tiered medical service improvement and pushed forward medical reform with great efforts.

Keywords: tiered medical service, evolution, review