Medical specialty distribution in China, 2009–17: a longitudinal examination

Abstract

Background China's practitioners are responsible for serving the most populous country in the world. Despite the pronounced shortages of areas, such as general practice and paediatrics, little is known about the discrepancies between supply and demand in each specialty. We aimed to examine China's supply of and demand for health care since 2009 to gain an understanding of the progress that reforms have brought about. Methods We analysed distribution data regarding licensed medical practitioners and patient visits for all clinical departments between 2009 and 2017 using annual reports and yearbooks provided by the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission, which are published by the government of China and the Peking Union Medical College. The institutional review board of the principal investigator's institution approved this study.