An Unusual 75 Days: A Comprehensive Review of Healthcare Institutional Reform | With Leadership Resumes and Product Information

The Last Day of May, the newly established National Healthcare Security Administration was officially unveiled. Thus, after a period of75Today, in this round of State Council institutional reform, the medical authorities have finally completed their first-phase tasks. These 75 days have been extraordinary for every participant in the healthcare sector, from the unveiling of the National Health Commission to the final announcement of the leadership team of the National Healthcare Security Administration; every move at the top level has become a focal point of attention.

VCBeat has exclusively compiled these fragmented pieces of information in an effort to piece together a more complete picture.

On March 17, the First Session of the 13th National People's Congress voted to approve the Plan for Reform of State Council Institutions, marking the commencement of institutional reform.

3Month27On [Date], the newly established National Health Commission was officially unveiled, just 10 days after the reform plan was voted on.

4Month11On [date], the newly established State Administration for Market Regulation was officially unveiled.On the same day, the National Medical Products Administration, established under the State Administration for Market Regulation, was also officially unveiled. According to the timetable released by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the “Three Determinations Plan” will be implemented in5Submit by the end of the month,9Implement by the end of the month,2018Acceptance will be conducted at the end of the year.

On May 31, the newly established National Healthcare Security Administration was officially unveiled, marking the completion of the unveiling ceremonies for all newly formed healthcare regulatory agencies.

Timeline of State Council Institutional Reform and Agency Unveilings; Image Compiled by VCBeat

Leadership Team of the National Health Commission; image compiled by VCBeat

Leadership Team of the State Administration for Market Regulation. Image compiled by VCBeat.

The newly formed leadership team is entirely drawn from the former functional departments. Ma Xiaowei, formerly Deputy Director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, has been appointed as Director of the National Health Commission. Zhang Mao, who previously served as Director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, has assumed the role of Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

Jiao Hong serves as the Commissioner of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), which is under the State Administration for Market Regulation. She previously served as Deputy Director of the former China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) for nearly six years.

Leadership Team of the National Healthcare Security Administration, image compiled by VCBeat

Relatively speaking, the composition of the leadership team at the National Medical Products Administration is somewhat unique. In addition to the three deputy directors who, as per convention, come from relevant functional departments, Director Hu Jinglin has long been part of the fiscal system. Prior to assuming his new role, Hu had served as Vice Minister of Finance for nearly four years.

Industry insiders analyze that as the new healthcare reform advances in depth, interactions between the fiscal and health systems will become increasingly frequent. However, the high professional barriers between the two sides may lead to disagreements and misunderstandings. Assigning officials from the fiscal system to positions within the health system would facilitate better coordination and improve efficiency. Previously, Gao Qiang, the former Minister of Health, had served as Vice Minister of Finance, setting an early precedent.

The above images are compiled by VCBeat based on information from the official websites of relevant institutions.