China's multi-level healthcare system is already basically built, Zheng Zhe, vice minister of the National Health Commission, said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office.

The system is designed to guide patients to seek care based on the urgency and complexity of their condition. Common and frequent conditions are managed at the primary care level, while more serious or complex cases are referred to higher level hospitals. This approach increases access to health care while reducing the financial burden on patients.

Zheng Zhe presented measures to accelerate the development of the system at a press briefing in Beijing. He said the General Office of the State Council had recently issued a document aimed at further strengthening it, which included four main initiatives.

The first is to link hospitals of different levels into a coordinated network with shared information systems.

The second initiative supports community clinics to become the first point of contact for patients, with family doctors playing a key role in the treatment of common illnesses.

The third measure is the creation of effective referral centres to ensure the smooth transfer of patients requiring hospitalisation from community facilities to larger hospitals.

The fourth pillar is to ensure stable financing of the entire system through state subsidies, reform of physician remuneration and optimisation of reimbursement from public health insurance.

According to data released at the conference, primary care facilities will record a total of 5.56 billion visits in 2025, accounting for 52.6 % of all patient contacts. Both the absolute number and proportion of these visits continue to rise, confirming the efficiency of the system.

At the same time, the number of patients using the two-way referral system between healthcare facilities has increased significantly. In 2025, there is an increase of more than 50 % compared to 2020, which greatly facilitates the transfer of patients between hospitals.

CMG