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Advancing universal coverage of healthcare in China: translating political will into policy and practice
Author(s) -
Tang Shenglan,
Brixi Hana,
Bekedam Henk
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the international journal of health planning and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-1751
pISSN - 0749-6753
DOI - 10.1002/hpm.2207
Subject(s) - china , government (linguistics) , politics , health care reform , context (archaeology) , plan (archaeology) , public administration , political science , health care , process (computing) , healthcare system , health policy , universal coverage , public relations , economic growth , economics , computer science , history , paleontology , philosophy , linguistics , archaeology , law , biology , operating system
SUMMARY China launched its new health system reform plan in 2009 to advance its universal coverage of healthcare, after more than 4 years' consultations and discussions with various stakeholders including the public. This paper aims to introduce and discuss the context and process of China's current health system reform and analyse how political will in China has been translated into policy practice over the past decade. The paper also shares the insights of World Health Organization's contribution to China's health system reform, as the authors advised the Chinese government on the reform options and process. Furthermore, the paper describes and discusses key challenges in the implementation of the reform plan over the past 3 years and draws lessons for other countries. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.