Recently, the National Health Commission (NHC) and seven other authorities have jointly released the Opinions on Strengthening the Capacity Building of the Critical Care Medical Services (the "Opinions").
The Opinions are organized into six sections, covering general requirements and key objectives, continuous improvement of the critical care medical service network, focusing on strengthening capacity building of critical care medical specialties, effectively expanding the team of critical care medical professionals, and continuously advancing reforms in the critical care medical service sector. Among them, the Opinions propose the general requirements of "matching capabilities with levels, making reasonable layout, providing excellent services, and combining emergency and routine care." They also specify the objectives expected to be attained by the end of 2025 and 2027, proposing the establishment of a hierarchical and tiered critical care medical service network based on "dual centers," urban medical groups, and county-level medical consortiums. Additionally, the Opinions advocate for coordinated efforts among relevant authorities to ensure reasonable adjustments to critical care medical service prices, guarantee adequate compensation and benefits for critical care medical staff, and enhance the appeal of critical care medicine specialties.