Universal Coverage of Health Care in China: Challenges and Opportunities

Overview

UC policy in China is the outcome of protracted discussion and debate regarding the main challenges faced by the domestic health system as well as trends in international health care development. Core government policy regarding the establishment of a harmonious society makes the issue of equity in health and health care of paramount importance.  Improving people’s access to basic health care has thus become a guiding principle in development policies, and the needs of vulnerable populations have received particular attention. Policy formulation has also been supported by international health projects such as the World Bank Health VIII Project and Department for International Development (DFID) Urban Health and Poverty Project. 

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.