Affordability and accessibility of health care services have been key social challenges in China. Since the beginning of 2009, the Chinese government began to implement an ambitious reform agenda that aimed to radically improve its health care system. Although much progress has been made in the past eight years, China’s health care system still faces a number of deeply rooted problems. The China Health Partnership aims to assess and improve this problems as China’s health care reform evolves.
The past several decades have been indicative of China’s great potential and progress with regards to its rapid economic development. With increasing income, people enjoy better nutrition, safer drinking water, better housing conditions, and better health care. Yet China still confronts new challenges, from the rise of non-communicable diseases to workplace safety, urbanization, and environmental degradation. Moreover, without a health safety-net or health insurance, millions of individuals risk impoverishment if they develop serious illness. The China Health Partnerships projects focus on these challenges.