Sanming Procurement Alliance (National) to Hold Fourth Plenary Meeting in Xiamen on December 12 — Sanming Medical Reform Leading Group Issues Initiative for Routine Cross-Regional Joint Procurement of Medicines and Medical Supplies

On November 26, the Sanming Medical Reform Leading Group released the “Initiative on Promoting Normalized Cross-Regional Joint Procurement of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices” (hereinafter referred to as the “Initiative”), announcing that the Fourth Joint Conference of the “Sanming Procurement Alliance (National)” will be held in Xiamen on December 12. The group extends a sincere invitation to all regions to join the Sanming Procurement Alliance and jointly build an innovative platform for medical reform.

The "Initiative" points out that, in order to thoroughly implement the important spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speeches and instructions during his inspection visit to Sanming this March, in accordance with the instructions and requirements given by Vice Premier Sun Chunlan during her research visit to Sanming, and to earnestly carry out the deployments made at the National Teleconference on Healthcare Reform Work, as well as in line with the requirement stipulated in the State Council Leading Group for Healthcare Reform’s "Implementation Opinions on Deepening the Promotion of Sanming City, Fujian Province’s Experience and Furthering Healthcare System Reform" (Guo Yi Gai Fa [2021] No. 2) that "centralized volume-based procurement of drugs and medical consumables shall be conducted or participated in at least once a year," and that "localities are encouraged to join the 'Sanming Procurement Alliance'," so as to promote comprehensive and in-depth coordination among healthcare services, health insurance, and pharmaceuticals ("Three-Medical Linkage"), expand, substantiate, and strengthen the Sanming Procurement Alliance, effectively reduce the medication burden on the public, and ensure that the benefits of reform reach more people, the following initiative is hereby issued to medical and health institutions, health insurance agencies, and pharmaceutical organizations nationwide:

Over the past decade, the healthcare reform in Sanming has consistently upheld a people-first approach and a pioneering spirit of innovation. With firm resolve and courage, it has implemented substantive and rigorous measures to continuously advance the coordinated reform of medical care, health insurance, and pharmaceutical supply (“Three-Medical Linkage”), achieving phased results. To further deepen healthcare system reform and strengthen communication and collaboration, we plan to hold the Fourth Joint Conference of the Sanming Procurement Alliance (National) in Xiamen on December 12, 2021. We sincerely invite representatives from all sectors to attend and provide guidance, discuss healthcare reform initiatives, and work together to promote the healthy development of the pharmaceutical industry.

We sincerely invite regions across the country to join the Sanming Procurement Alliance, co-establishing a tightly-knit alliance. Leveraging the Sanming Procurement Alliance platform, we will integrate alliance resources to form a powerful synergy, continuously enhance the substance of the Sanming Procurement Alliance, and build an “Alliance for Healthcare Reform Innovation.” We aim to improve the market-oriented drug price formation mechanism, standardize the drug supply guarantee system, and promote normalized cross-regional joint centralized procurement of drugs and medical consumables. We will gradually advance alliance-based procurement covering all categories, including drugs, medical consumables, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction pieces, thereby reducing prices to benefit the public, improving the quality and grading of TCM decoction pieces, and guiding the prices of drugs, medical consumables, and TCM decoction pieces back to reasonable levels. Furthermore, we will build a smart pharmaceutical trading platform, promote information sharing among alliance cities, support deepening healthcare reforms in these cities, and foster the economic development of the pharmaceutical industry.

We sincerely invite all parties to engage in in-depth exchanges and dialogue with Sanming, share best practices in healthcare reform, foster integration and innovation, promote mutual learning and development, and accelerate the deepening of healthcare reform. Let us work pragmatically, take the lead, serve as a driving force, stand at the forefront of the tide, forge ahead with determination, pool our efforts to deepen reforms and innovation, stimulate the vitality of high-quality health development, and ensure that the benefits of healthcare reform reach more people.