Assessment of essential public health services in China based on WHO′s comprehensive evaluation model

Objective To understand the current equalization in essential public health services in China, and to provide recommendations for health resource allocation and public health policy making. Methods WHO′s comprehensive evaluation model, and the Rank Sum Ratio (RSR) method were used to analyze, rank and categorize essential public health services. Results Thirty-one provinces (cities, autonomous regions) in China were grouped into five categories, namely, relatively balanced area, low input area, resource shortage area, over utilization area and resource waste area. Conclusions The equalization of essential public health services in China is gradually being realized, but there are still setbacks such as mismatch between health needs and resource input, waste and over-utilization of resources. To correct these problems, relevant recommendations on health policy making for different areas were given. Key words: Health services administration; Essential public health services; Comprehensive evaluation; Rank sum ratio method; World Health Organization