The development of urban community health centres for strengthening primary care in China: a systematic literature review

INTRODUCTION: This review outlines the development of China's primary care system, with implications for improving equitable health care. SOURCES OF DATA: Government documents, official statistics, and recent literature identified through systematic searches performed on NCBI PubMed. AREAS OF AGREEMENT: Community health centres (CHCs) are being developed as the major primary care provider in urban China, with laudable achievements. The road towards a strong primary care-led system is promising but challenging. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: The effectiveness in improving equitable care through the expansion of primary care workforce and redesign of the social medical insurance system warrants further exploration. GROWING POINTS: Healthcare disparities exist in the health system wherein universal health coverage and gatekeepers have not yet been established. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Future prospective studies should aim to provide solutions for strengthening the leading role of CHCs in providing equitable care in response to population ageing and multimorbidity challenges.