National Health Commission: Fully implement the establishment of referral and consultation centers during the 14th Five-Year Plan

Southern Finance National Two Sessions Reporting Team Wang Feng Beijing Report On the morning of March 7, 2026, the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress held a press conference on the theme of people’s livelihood.

Lei Haichao, director of the National Health Commission, introduced a series of key projects to be implemented in the health sector over the next five years, such as the medical and health foundation strengthening projects and the rehabilitation nursing capacity expansion projects mentioned in the government work report.

“Our basic medical and health services cover 1.4 billion urban and rural residents, but the service capacity needs to be further improved. Some specialties are still not well balanced, such as pediatrics, mental health, general practice, and rehabilitation nursing services. These all need further development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period to respond to the health needs of the public,” said Lei Haichao.

Lei Haichao introduced that around 1,000 close-knit county-level medical community constructions will be planned during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. To further strengthen the continuity of medical and health services, a referral consultation center will be established comprehensively at the city level, allowing for continuous improvement in the continuity of care for the public.

“Overall, seeking medical treatment is a professional issue. It should be clear which hospital to go to, which department to see, and what kind of doctor to find. Professionals have the most say and are the most aware. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we will focus on promoting reforms in this area, advancing hierarchical medical services to meet the health needs of the people,” said Lei Haichao.

At the national health conference held in January this year, the National Health Commission further clarified the principles of “strengthening the foundation, stabilizing the second, and controlling the third.” This marks an important shift in the logic of hierarchical medical service policy from a past focus on “controlling the third” to a current emphasis on “strengthening the foundation.”

“Controlling the third” refers to strictly controlling the disorderly expansion of tertiary hospitals to alleviate the “siphoning effect” on talent and patients. Now the focus has shifted—only when the grassroots truly become “strong” can hierarchical medical services be smoothly implemented.

A hospital official pointed out that in previous years, hierarchical medical services often turned into a simple “referral” mechanism, sometimes where higher-level hospitals prescribed medications that grassroots facilities could not continue. Now, the capacity of grassroots medical services has systematically improved—from “having medications available” to “medication continuity,” and the requirement for family contracts has gradually evolved to “providing practical services.” This is undoubtedly a significant benefit for ordinary people seeking medical care.

(Editor: Wenjing)

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