In February 2026, China’s National Health Commission released a list of “practical, people-centered service initiatives.” These ten initiatives revolve around three keywords—“downward extension,” “quality improvement,” and “prevention”—covering specific areas such as pediatrics, psychiatry, hemodialysis, weight management, and vaccination. The center of gravity of China’s medical services is undergoing a deep transformation: from top-tier tertiary hospitals to primary-level institutions, and from basic coverage to deeper content-building.
Pediatrics at the primary level: the “equipment spree” and “talent anxiety” behind adding 1,000 pediatric departments
By the end of 2025, 4,845 public general hospitals at the secondary level and above, and 40,000 primary medical and health institutions nationwide, were able to provide pediatric services. The 2026 target is: add 1,000 primary-level institutions that can provide pediatric diagnosis and treatment services, while also “enriching content and expanding service items” for the existing 40,000 institutions.
Equipment procurement: from “having it or not” to “specialized or not”
In the past, the biggest pain point for primary-level pediatrics was “doctors without equipment”—general practitioners seeing pediatric patients with a stethoscope, lacking support from dedicated equipment. The policy calls for “strengthening personnel and equipment allocation,” which means a wave of rigid procurement demand for pediatric-dedicated equipment (e.g., pediatric portable multi-parameter monitors, pediatric pulmonary function testing devices, pediatric nebulization equipment, pediatric vision screening devices, pediatric-dedicated hospital beds).
AI-assisted diagnosis: a “plug-in” for primary-level doctors
The shortage of primary-level pediatricians is a long-standing issue. According to estimates from different institutions, China’s pediatrician shortfall is between 90,000 and 200,000. Intelligent auxiliary diagnostic systems that integrate pediatric disease knowledge bases will become the “strongest plug-in” for general practitioners to see pediatric patients. Recently, Beijing has already been approved to pilot first-time pediatric internet consultations; a “equipment + AI + remote” combination punch will open up a new situation for strengthening primary-level pediatric capacity.
County-level psychiatry: “from 0 to 1” in 110 counties, a new battleground for digital therapeutics
In 2025, all prefecture-level cities nationwide achieved full coverage of psychological clinics. In 2026, the target sinks to the county level—adding 110 counties to provide psychological clinic services; counties with more concentrated populations and greater demand should have at least one county-level public hospital setting up a psychological clinic. The lifetime prevalence of depression among adults in China is about 3.4%, and the prevalence of anxiety disorders is about 5.0%. By this estimate, a county with a permanent population of 500,000 would have about 17,000 depression patients and about 25,000 anxiety-disorder patients. Among people with mental disorders, about 70% have never received any treatment (a severe lack of treatment rates), urgently requiring county-level psychological clinics to take on the “gatekeeper” role and undertake the key functions of screening, preliminary diagnosis and treatment, and referral.
Equipment procurement: from “bare running” to “standard configuration”
Building psychological clinics from scratch means a basic equipment procurement wave. Referencing recent government procurement cases, the equipment budget for a single county-level psychological clinic is RMB 300,000–500,000 (USD 43,671–72,785). Using 110 counties as the basis, the direct equipment market size is about RMB 33 million–55 million (USD 4.804–8.006 million). The main equipment involved includes:
- Diagnostic: psychological CT systems, cognitive function assessment devices, EEG monitoring equipment
- Therapeutic: transcranial magnetic stimulation devices, biofeedback therapy devices, electroacupuncture therapy devices
Digital therapeutics: a “new species” in psychiatry
The characteristics of mental and psychological disorders are “the illness is in the brain, and the root is in the brain,” but traditional treatment faces pain points such as concerns about drug side effects and difficulty persisting with behavioral training. The value of digital therapeutics is becoming increasingly prominent.
Taking attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an example, China has as many as 23 million affected children. Research shows that “digital medicine + medication” combined treatment can increase the improvement rate of attention-deficit symptoms in ADHD patients from 23.3% to 34.6%. As county-level psychological clinics roll out, digital therapeutics are expected to move from top-tier tertiary hospitals to primary-level institutions and become an important supplement to psychiatry service capacity.
Primary-level hemodialysis: the “downward-extension dividend” behind 350 new institutions
As a medical service that requires daily persistence, geographic distance is an important factor affecting patient adherence. In 2025, the country achieved that “counties with a permanent population over 100,000 can all provide hemodialysis services.” In 2026, the target sinks further: counties with a permanent population over 60,000 can all provide hemodialysis services, and 350 additional township health centers and community health service centers nationwide will provide hemodialysis services.
A wave of installations: dialysis machines + water treatment systems
At present, there are more than 8,400 medical institutions nationwide that can provide hemodialysis services, mainly secondary and tertiary hospitals; township health centers and community health service centers are currently the weak link in hemodialysis services. Adding 350 new primary-level institutions in 2026 means hemodialysis machines and water treatment equipment will see a new installation peak. Patients in down-market areas are more price-sensitive; under centralized procurement, domestic blood purification leaders such as WEGO and SWSH are more likely to capture down-market space.
Consumables market: the “perpetual motion machine” of dialyzers + tubing + puncture needles
A defining feature of hemodialysis services is “install once, consume continuously.” As service points increase, the market consumption volume of disposable consumables such as dialyzers, dialysis tubing, and puncture needles will rise in tandem. Based on the share of hemodialyzers accounting for 36.53% of the hemodialysis market, this is a perpetual business in which “as long as the machines run, consumables won’t stop.”
Integrated solutions: the “full package” of equipment + training + quality control
For primary-level institutions to provide hemodialysis services, the biggest challenge is not equipment, but people—where will qualified dialysis physicians, nurses, and engineers come from? The policy clearly requires “strengthening the responsibility of paired support and assistance from urban and rural hospitals to supported hospitals.” This means enterprises that can provide integrated solutions of “equipment + personnel training + remote quality control” will gain stronger bargaining power.
Other
In addition to promoting the availability of pediatrics, psychiatry, and hemodialysis, other important measures include:
Strengthening healthy weight management clinics
- The policy requires all tertiary public general hospitals to provide healthy weight management clinic services, using weight management as a major lever for comprehensive prevention and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. At present, more than 5,500 medical institutions at the secondary level and above nationwide have established weight management clinics.
Improving public health services:
- Free HPV vaccination for 13-year-old girls: research shows that antibody levels produced by vaccination at ages 9–14 are more than twice those at ages 15 and above, and the protective effect lasts at least 10 years. This means vaccine procurement paid for by the government will form a stable market.
- Weekend vaccination services provided by township health centers and community health service centers: it may look like merely “working overtime,” but in fact it means an upgrade in vaccination-site service capacity—placing higher requirements on cold-chain equipment, information systems, and appointment platforms.
- Holding more than 10,000 health knowledge lectures nationwide: health education shifts from an “optional item” to a “required item,” creating new demand for content production, dissemination platforms, and effectiveness-evaluation services.
Improving maternal and child health and childrearing outcomes
- 10,000 medical institutions nationwide provide early-pregnancy care clinics, offering comprehensive (protection/assurance) services for women in early pregnancy and improving the quality of population development.
- Adding 150,000 new inclusive childcare slots nationwide, enabling more families with children to enjoy nearby, convenient, affordable, and standardized childcare services.
The National Health Commission’s “ten practical benefits” for 2026 are both a precise “map of livelihood needs” and a “business opportunity list” for the healthcare industry. Overall, policy trends are promoting primary-level medical service capabilities along a path of “from none to having it, and from having it to being excellent,” while also strengthening the role of preventive medicine. To better serve primary-level healthcare, industry vendors need to provide integrated solutions of “equipment + training + digitalization + quality control.”
[Disclaimer]: The above content reflects analysis of publicly available information, expert insights, and BCC research. It does not constitute investment advice. BCC is not responsible for any losses resulting from reliance on the views expressed herein. Investors should exercise caution.