A medical treatment partnership system was mentioned in the Government Work Report for the first time this year, which is a significant move to improve healthcare provision in China.

Hospitals in China are mainly concentrated in large cities, and the distribution of medical resources is not well balanced. This means even large hospitals suffer overcrowding.

The concept of a medical treatment partnership system refers to the combination of medical treatment providers within a specific region, consisting of one top level hospital, some second level hospitals along with community medical service facilities. Patients can freely transfer from one medical treatment service organization to another within the region.

According to the Government Work Report all the 3A-grade hospitals in China will participate in the construction of the medical treatment partnership system.

Such a medical treatment partnership system is expected to better balance medical resources and make it easier for rural villagers to see doctors. In this way, high-quality medical resources will be available at the grassroots level.

Such a medical treatment partnership system is a significant healthcare supply side reform, said Li Bin, head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, at a news conference during the recent session of the 12th National People's Congress.