Eleven departments: Strive for residents to reach the nearest medical service point in 15 minutes to receive traditional Chinese medicine services by 2030
The Zhitong Finance App learned that 11 departments including the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine recently jointly issued the “Traditional Chinese Medicine Action Plan for the Health Care Foundation Project”, which mentions that by 2030, a grass-roots traditional Chinese medicine service network integrating prevention, treatment and rehabilitation will be fully established, the talent team will be more complete, infrastructure and digital intelligence conditions will improve markedly, and service capacity will be steadily improved. The important role of primary traditional Chinese medicine in the construction of a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system has been further highlighted, focusing on achieving the goal that everyone can enjoy traditional Chinese medicine services in 15 minutes. The focus is on improving the medical service capacity of county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, traditional Chinese medicine service capabilities of primary medical and health institutions, primary Chinese medicine personnel staffing, promotion and application of appropriate technology for primary traditional Chinese medicine, and popularization, promotion and quality of traditional Chinese medicine health culture at the primary level.
The original text is as follows:
Notice on Issuing the Traditional Chinese Medicine Action Plan for Health Care Strengthening Projects
China Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical Administration Law [2026] No. 6
All provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and the Health Commission of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau, the Development and Reform Commission, the Department of Education (bureau), the Department of Finance (bureau), the Department of Human Resources and Social Security (bureau), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (bureau), the Health Insurance Administration, the Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, the Drug Administration, and all relevant military units:
The National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Health Insurance Administration, the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention, the State Drug Administration, and the Logistics and Support Department of the Central Military Commission have jointly formulated the “14th Five-Year Plan of Action for the Stronger Medical and Health Care Project” in order to implement the “14th Five-Year Plan of Action” of the “14th Five-Year Plan” to enhance traditional Chinese medicine service capacity at the grass-roots level, and accelerate the revitalization and development of traditional Chinese medicine at the grass-roots level. It is now being issued to you, please carefully organize and implement it.
National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine National Health Commission
National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Education
Ministry of Finance Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs National Health Insurance Administration
National Agency for Disease Control and Prevention National Drug Administration
Central Military Commission Logistics and Support Department
July 11, 2026
(Form of information disclosure: voluntary disclosure)
Traditional Chinese Medicine Action Plan for Health Care Foundation Projects
This plan is formulated to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on implementing strong medical and health care infrastructure projects and to accelerate the revitalization and development of traditional Chinese medicine at the grass-roots level.
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping's ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, comprehensively implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress and the 20th Plenary Session of the Party, thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important remarks on building a healthy China and the work of traditional Chinese medicine, earnestly implement the Party's health and health work policy in the new era, focus on strengthening the grassroots, building a solid service network, improving service conditions, enhancing service capabilities, highlighting unique advantages, and improving development policies to strengthen the supply of traditional Chinese medicine services at the primary level to help build a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system to enhance people's sense of attainment, safety and happiness in seeking medical treatment.
By 2030, a grass-roots traditional Chinese medicine service network integrating prevention, treatment and rehabilitation will be fully established, the talent team will be more complete, infrastructure and digital intelligence conditions will be improved markedly, and service capacity will be steadily improved. The important role of primary traditional Chinese medicine in the construction of a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system will be further demonstrated, focusing on achieving the goal of traditional Chinese medicine services for everyone, and striving for residents to reach the nearest medical service point to receive traditional Chinese medicine services in 15 minutes. The focus is on improving the medical service capacity of county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, traditional Chinese medicine service capabilities of primary medical and health institutions, primary Chinese medicine personnel staffing, promotion and application of appropriate technology for primary traditional Chinese medicine, and popularization, promotion and quality of traditional Chinese medicine health culture at the primary level.
II. Key tasks
(1) Service network optimization and improvement actions
1. Implement the functional positioning of county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. County-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals mainly provide traditional Chinese medicine services such as diagnosis, treatment and care for common, frequent, and chronic diseases, critical and severe treatment, and upward referral of difficult and complex diseases within the county area, and undertake corresponding public health and other functions. Support county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to improve infrastructure and strengthen content construction, and strive to generally meet the “Basic Medical Service Capability Standard for County-level Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals” and more than 50% meet the “Recommended Medical Service Capacity Standards for County-level Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals” to better play their leading role in county-level traditional Chinese medicine treatment, preventive care, characteristic rehabilitation, talent development, promotion of appropriate technology, and traditional Chinese medicine health education by 2030. Support counties in remote areas that have not established traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions to properly set up traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions or establish traditional Chinese medicine (including ethnic minority medicine) departments in general hospitals.
2. Improve the service conditions of the Chinese Medicine Centre (Chinese Medicine Hall). Support a certain percentage of township health hospitals and community health service centers to improve the service capacity of traditional Chinese medicine centers, focusing on improving the service conditions of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment, and strengthening the construction of specialty specialties (specialties). Strive to achieve that by 2030, township health hospitals and community health service centers will generally establish traditional Chinese medicine clinics, and more than 30% will meet the “Community Health Service Center Township Health Hospital Traditional Chinese Medicine Center Service Capacity Enhancement Construction Standards”. Promote a certain percentage of community health service stations and village health offices to standardize the establishment of traditional Chinese medicine cabinets.
3. Strengthen the construction of traditional Chinese medicine clinical departments in non-traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions. Promote the construction of traditional Chinese medicine clinical departments in medical institutions such as county-level general hospitals, specialist hospitals, and maternal and child health hospitals, play a role as a platform hub, strengthen guidance and support for traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment in other clinical departments, and continuously improve traditional Chinese medicine services and collaborative service capabilities of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Encourage county-level general hospitals to establish specialist groups for integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Explore the construction of a flagship primary health care institution for traditional Chinese and Western medicine collaboration.
4. Encourage and regulate social forces to practice traditional Chinese medicine at the grassroots level. Guide social forces to set up traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions in counties and play a role in traditional Chinese medicine's traditional advantages such as acupuncture, bone injury, anorectal surgery, and rehabilitation. Guarantee that social traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions and government traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions enjoy the same rights in terms of admission and practice, strengthen comprehensive supervision, and promote high-quality development.
(2) Actions to improve the quality and efficiency of service capacity
5. Build a specialty with special advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in the county. Strengthen the construction of key departments in county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, and promote each county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospital to establish at least 2 specialties with the special advantages of traditional Chinese medicine. Include specialties with special advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals within the scope of provincial traditional Chinese medicine advantage specialist alliances. Relying on county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to set up county-level traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment guidance centers, play a guiding role in specialist (specialty) traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment services, and continuously optimize the supply of traditional Chinese medicine services to primary medical and health institutions.
6. Strengthen the county's traditional Chinese medicine emergency first aid capabilities. Improve the settings of departments such as emergency departments and intensive medicine departments in county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, integrate emergency departments into county and district medical emergency systems, enhance first aid and referral capabilities for seriously ill and critically ill patients, and clear green channels for first aid services. Promote the use of traditional Chinese medicine specialty first aid kits and strengthen training in traditional Chinese medicine first aid techniques. Explore the establishment of a collaborative first aid mechanism for traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and jointly set up district and county backpack-based medical emergency teams.
7. Improve traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy service capabilities at the grassroots level. Improve the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy settings in county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, rationally equip traditional Chinese medicine professionals and technicians, and improve traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy service capabilities. Encourage county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals that are in a position to do so to build traditional Chinese medicine dispensaries and develop traditional Chinese medicine preparations with local characteristics. Support the construction of smart shared traditional Chinese medicine service centers in counties, and promote the intelligent construction and upgrading of county Chinese medicine pharmacies and herbal medicine rooms. Strengthen the standardized management of Chinese herbal medicines in counties.
8. Promote the integration of traditional Chinese medicine into basic public health services. Continuously optimize traditional Chinese medicine health management services for basic public health service projects, focus on the management of key population groups and chronic diseases, etc., enrich content, improve standards, and improve quality. Traditional Chinese medicine health management rates for the elderly and children have remained above 75% and 85%, respectively.
9. Give full play to the unique advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in basic medical treatment and health protection for key population groups. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in primary health care institutions are encouraged to directly provide contracted services as family physicians. Strengthen the construction of traditional Chinese medicine nursing teams and strengthen training on traditional Chinese medicine specialty nursing services at the primary level. Carry out grass-roots activities for traditional Chinese medicine standard services. Guide first-level and second-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to expand integrated medical care services and participate in supporting inclusive childcare services. Primary medical and health care institutions are encouraged to use traditional Chinese medicine techniques to carry out services such as community rehabilitation and nursing, palliative care, and weight management. Give full play to the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in treating diseases, strengthen traditional Chinese medicine diet therapy guidance, and promote and popularize traditional Chinese medicine health care practices such as Baduanjin. Actively carry out pilot projects to promote traditional Chinese medicine to play a special role in the prevention and treatment of obesity, myopia, abnormal psychological behavior, abnormal spinal curvature, and dental caries in children and adolescents.
(3) Actions to expand the capacity and cultivate talents at the grassroots level
10. Expand the scale of talent supply. Clarify a certain percentage of traditional Chinese medicine physician positions in the special job plan for general practitioners, maintain the annual free training and enrollment scale for rural orders of more than 1,000 traditional Chinese medicine majors, implement special plans for college students and rural doctors, and implement policies such as preparation guarantees. All regions are encouraged to pass tests with proven expertise to include ethnic minority medical personnel in traditional Chinese medicine talent teams at the grass-roots level. By 2030, traditional Chinese medicine physicians in county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals will account for more than 60% of the total number of physicians, and the proportion of traditional Chinese medicine physicians in township hospitals and community health service centers will remain at least 20% of the total number of physicians in similar institutions. 100% of community health service stations and 85% of village health rooms will be equipped with at least 1 medical staff who can provide traditional Chinese medicine services.
11. Conduct training through hierarchical classification. Focusing on training key traditional Chinese medicine talents in counties, townships and villages, we carry out traditional Chinese medicine service capacity improvement training for traditional Chinese medicine service capacity improvement training for county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and traditional Chinese medicine center business leaders, conduct standardized training for general practitioners and assistant general practitioners, conduct traditional Chinese medicine knowledge and skills training for primary medical and health care institution physicians and rural doctors, and continue to build heritage studios for famous and old traditional Chinese medicine experts at the grassroots level.
12. Optimize ways to manage the use of talents. Improve the staffing and job standards of traditional Chinese medicine at the primary level, and optimize the recruitment and use mechanism for traditional Chinese medicine talents at the primary level. Promote talent management models such as “county management for rural use” and “rural employment for village use” to promote the flow of talents to the grassroots level. Improve the work system for traditional Chinese medicine personnel to regularly serve at the grassroots level and in difficult remote areas, and encourage retired traditional Chinese medicine personnel in good health to serve at the grassroots level through various means.
13. Improve the incentive mechanism for talent development. Improve the talent evaluation system that conforms to the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine, and promote the implementation of the “targeted evaluation and targeted use” policy for reviewing the titles of traditional Chinese medicine professionals and technicians at the grass-roots level. Formulate evaluation criteria with clinical competency as the core in terms of job title promotion, etc., grant preferential policies to the grassroots level, and rely on institutional innovation to unleash talent vitality. In terms of remuneration distribution, etc., improve the performance evaluation and distribution mechanism that is conducive to improving the supply of traditional Chinese medicine services at the grass-roots level.
14. Promote the sinking of people-centered traditional Chinese medicine resources to the grassroots level. Do a good job of supporting county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals as counterpart hospitals of tertiary hospitals, and continue to push the decline in personnel and services. Promote second-level and third-level public traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to reserve some expert numbers and open them up to primary medical and health institutions in the region as a matter of priority. Establish and improve a multi-level, wide-coverage itinerant medical care system to achieve full coverage of normalized itinerant medical treatment in counties with poor traditional Chinese medicine medical resources. Develop a “fixed+mobile” traditional Chinese medicine medical service supply model according to local conditions, and coordinate the deployment of inspection vehicles to provide traditional Chinese medicine inspection services for regions without county-run traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions.
(4) Actions to further cultivate and promote appropriate technology
15. Establish a sound promotion system. Relying on relevant units to strengthen the construction of national traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment technology promotion and guidance platforms and provincial traditional Chinese medicine appropriate technology promotion centers, encourage all regions to build municipal traditional Chinese medicine appropriate technology promotion centers, rely on county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to build county-level appropriate traditional Chinese medicine technology promotion centers, improve the promotion system, equip necessary traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis, treatment and training equipment, and promote appropriate traditional Chinese medicine technology at the grassroots level. Establish and improve standards and management standards for appropriate technology promotion centers for traditional Chinese medicine at all levels. Strive to basically achieve full coverage of county-level traditional Chinese medicine appropriate technology promotion centers by 2030, with the exception of counties with small populations.
16. Strengthen the construction of the teaching staff. Select traditional Chinese medicine experts with rich clinical experience and teaching ability, train suitable technical teachers for traditional Chinese medicine, and build a team of high-level, hierarchical teachers. By 2030, more than 1,000 provincial teachers will be trained. Each provincial TCM appropriate technology center will have more than 65 TCM appropriate technology promotion capabilities, and each county-level TCM appropriate technology promotion center will have more than 50 appropriate TCM technology promotion capabilities.
17. Improve clinical application capabilities. Vigorously promote the application of the “Handbook on Appropriate Techniques for Primary Traditional Chinese Medicine”, and revise, improve and supplement technical projects in due course. Formulate and improve appropriate technical standards and management standards for traditional Chinese medicine at the primary level. Strive that by 2030, 80% of township hospitals and community health service centers will be able to carry out 6 types of 15 or more appropriate traditional Chinese medicine techniques. Explore and implement the “Tips and Tricks” project at the grassroots level, focus on common and frequent diseases such as neck, shoulder, lower back and leg pain, develop and promote appropriate technical service packages for traditional Chinese medicine, and provide traditional Chinese medicine specific diagnosis and treatment services.
(5) Comprehensive management innovation and upward action
18. Strengthen the quality management of traditional Chinese medicine. Improve the management capacity of traditional Chinese medicine medical services in counties, and strengthen supervision and inspection of primary medical and health care institutions in implementing traditional Chinese medicine industry standards and technical specifications, rational medication use regulations, and core medical quality and safety systems. Actively explore quality management paths and models that meet the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine work in primary medical and health care institutions. Strictly implement the “Basic Regulations for the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Services in Community Health Service Centers in Township Health Hospitals”. Promote county-level general hospitals to provide traditional Chinese medicine services in accordance with the “Guidelines for Traditional Chinese Medicine Work in General Hospitals (2024 Edition)” to improve medical quality and management performance.
19. Improve the level of digital intelligence services and management. Accelerate the level of informatization construction in county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, and strive to achieve 100% compliance with the application level of electronic medical record systems by 2030. Continue to promote the construction of smart traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. Explore and promote the application of medical artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis and treatment technology in scenarios such as grass-roots traditional Chinese medicine services and the passing on the experience of famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. Encourage regions that are in a position to do so to be equipped with digital and intelligent terminals for traditional Chinese medicine.
20. Establish a national model city (county) for traditional Chinese medicine work at the primary level. Improve policies and measures such as administrative measures and construction standards for national grass-roots model cities (counties) for traditional Chinese medicine work, and carry out creation work. Summarize and promote typical experiences and practices of traditional Chinese medicine work at the grassroots level, give full play to the pioneering spirit at the grassroots level, amplify the leading effect of demonstration, and fully integrate traditional Chinese medicine into primary health care work.
(6) Health science popularization and cultural industry integration promotion actions
21. Enhance traditional Chinese medicine cultural service capabilities at the grassroots level. Support county-level traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions to set up traditional Chinese medicine health education bases and increase the supply of high-quality traditional Chinese medicine cultural services. Accomplish the launch of the Health Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Promotion Campaign Series, establish a mechanism for direct access to high-quality cultural resources at the grassroots level, and increase the supply of popular science knowledge about traditional Chinese medicine. Expand communication channels, strengthen the development and utilization of special cultural resources such as traditional festivals and seasonal health, and meet the diverse health needs of the community. Strive for 100% of county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to standardize the establishment of traditional Chinese medicine health education bases by 2030.
22. Promote the integrated development of traditional Chinese medicine culture and health industry at the grass-roots level. Encourage the development of the traditional Chinese medicine and health industry in counties, explore development methods integrating modern Chinese herbal medicine cultivation, leisure tourism and rural communities, and promote the construction of a modern industrial system integrating Chinese herbal medicine cultivation with the secondary and tertiary industries. Encourage agricultural cultural heritage sites for Chinese herbal medicine to promote outstanding traditional Chinese culture, and promote the development of new business formats such as traditional Chinese medicine research and health care. Encourage social forces such as time-honored traditional Chinese medicine enterprises to rely on traditional medicine intangible heritage projects to develop traditional Chinese medicine specialty products. Promote the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine markets, guide all regions to establish healthy cities (counties) and national model cities (counties) for grass-roots traditional Chinese medicine work, and promote the deep integration and mutual promotion of traditional Chinese medicine culture with the fields of catering, sports, performing arts, intangible heritage, etc.
(7) Reform, attack, break down barriers and empower actions
23. Promote the role of traditional Chinese medicine in the construction of close county medical communities. Formulate guidelines for county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to participate in the construction of close county medical communities, and encourage competent county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals to take the lead in forming close county medical communities. Support the construction of a close county medical community led by a number of county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. Promote the division of labor between county-level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and county-level general hospitals to build county medical resource sharing centers, promote intensive use of resources, and build a number of county medical communities with close traditional Chinese medicine characteristics supported digitally and intelligently. Encourage the use of the unique advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in health management and disease prevention, and promote primary medical and health institutions to improve the ability of traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases before illness.
24. Strengthen support for health insurance policies. Explore the implementation of payment for dominant diseases of traditional Chinese medicine according to disease type, and support traditional Chinese medicine day wards, traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation wards, etc. according to disease type and bed date. Close-knit county medical communities led by traditional Chinese medicine hospitals are moderately skewed in terms of total value. Support primary health care institutions to provide traditional Chinese medicine services. For traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment expenses that meet the requirements of the Outpatient Chronic Disease Policy, the corresponding payment ratio and annual limit shall be implemented in accordance with the Outpatient Chronic Disease Policy. Strengthen macro-management of medical service prices, standardize the management of traditional Chinese medicine medical service price items, and promote price adjustments for traditional Chinese medicine medical services in an integrated manner in the dynamic adjustment of medical service prices.
25. Implement financial security responsibilities. Implement the government's investment responsibilities in the traditional Chinese medicine industry in accordance with regulations, and strengthen support for the development of traditional Chinese medicine at the grass-roots level. Strengthen budget performance management to ensure safe and efficient use of funds.
III. Safeguard Measures
All regions and relevant departments should raise ideological awareness, take the implementation of the traditional Chinese medicine action for the medical and health care foundation project as an important part of implementing the Party's health and health work policy in the new era, promote rural revitalization and the construction of a healthy China, incorporate into the “15th Five-Year Plan” plan related to traditional Chinese medicine work, fully implement the traditional Chinese medicine tasks of the medical and health care foundation project, and adopt comprehensive measures to advance it. It is necessary to strengthen organizational leadership, implement investment policies, clarify the division of tasks, and promote work according to local conditions. It is necessary to strengthen follow-up and guidance, regularly monitor implementation, schedule work progress in a timely manner, and ensure that tasks are completed as scheduled. It is necessary to encourage exploration and innovation, do a good job in policy publicity, interpretation and training, summarize promotion experiences in a timely manner, and create a favorable social environment.
This article was edited by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhitong Finance Editor: Chen Wenfang.