Wang Pei'an, a vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, visited Shandong province, from April 1-3, to study the healthcare reform work there, as well as the two-child policy and the integration of medical resources by getting a look at medical and health service institutes in the cities of Ji'nan, Tai'an and Ji'ning and the work on public hospital reforms.

The reforms are meant to eliminate the system where hospital revenues and staff incomes are tied to the number of drug prescriptions, and the basic medicine system, medical costs and payments, a several-tier medical service system, and medical care for the elderly. Wang spoke with medical personnel and patients and got reports on Shandong and the cities of Jinan, Tai'an, Weifang, Weihai and Jining and discussed the progress of reforms, two-child policy, and health and pension services with regional governments.

Wang Pei'an studies the healthcare reform work in Shandong

Wang praised Shandong for its work in drug bidding and purchasing at primary care institutes, and basic medical insurance and primary care service systems and pointed to how there is still room for more public hospital reforms and his suggestions, while emphasizing the need to understand healthcare reforms at this time, and the relation between the economy and healthcare reforms, and between government, the market and society, and between finance and innovation.

He asked everyone to continue with the public hospital reforms, take a close look at medical costs, look for more reasonable salaries, improve medical insurance, establish as multi-tiered medical care system, follow the two-child policy, and try to integrate medical resources, healthcare reform and family planning and stronger leadership and clear responsibilities in healthcare reforms.

Accompanying Wang were NHFPC finance, healthcare reform and family development officials, and various experts.