China is setting up rural medical consortia to bring quality resources and services from county-level hospitals to grassroots facilities. This will enable rural residents, especially in sparsely populated areas, to receive better treatment without having to travel very far from home. The National Development and Reform Commission issued 10 billion yuan (US$1.39b) last year to upgrade equipment for the consortia, a strategic reform to improve grassroots medical services, and the investment is to be continued this year. The scheme, aimed at shared resources, tiered treatments and staff transfers, goes beyond just upgrading equipment. It means that more medical staff from grassroots facilities will improve their professional skills after being trained by their county-level colleagues. However, experts pointed out the challenges facing these reforms are still formidable, such as personnel shortages, different salary systems and medical insurance gaps.
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