EVENTS

Abstract        

The advent of commercialization in health services in China is not a recent phenomenon and started with the economic reforms in the 1980s. Private practice was allowed since the 1980s but remained limited at the primary level. The presence of private hospitals at the secondary and tertiary levels was small, located mostly in urban areas and richer counties. The process of commercializing public institutions began with the initial phase of reforms that was characterized by the public hospital reforms followed by financial reforms where the insurance model of financing was opted. This presentation will focus on the third phase of reforms that began post 2009 where there has been a move to make some systemic corrections in order to address rising costs and equity. Although the 2009 reforms emphasized strengthening of the public sector, there is now a clear signal to move towards greater private investments, thereby allowing new actors (domestic and transnational) to enter medical care. The process of commercialization has gained momentum in the past few years and going by the trends, these policy shifts will change the landscape of health care services in China.

About the Speakers

Rama V. Baru is a Professor at the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her major areas of research interest include commercialisation of health services, infectious diseases, comparative health systems and health inequalities. She is the author of two books - Private Health Care in India: Social Characteristics and Trends and School Health Services in India: The Social and Economic Contexts. She has publications in journals and edited volumes.  She is on the Ethics Committee of the Medical Council of India and the Research Committee of the Revised National Tuberculosis Programme of the Ministry of Health, Government of India.

Madhurima Nundy is Associate Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), Delhi. She holds a PhD in Public Health from the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Before joining ICS she was Senior Programme Coordinator at the Public Health Resource Network and has been a Technical Consultant with the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health. Her areas of interest include studying health service systems, health policies and health inequalities.