Published by ChinaMNC · Shapotou

China Approves Medical Rehabilitation and Nursing Expansion Plan: What Foreign Founders Should Know

China's State Council has approved a national implementation plan for expanding medical rehabilitation and nursing services. Here is what the approval document says and how foreign founders operating in China's healthcare-adjacent sectors should read it.

China Approves a National Medical Rehabilitation and Nursing Expansion Plan

The State Council has given its approval in principle to an implementation plan for expanding medical rehabilitation and nursing services, according to an official reply published on the central government website. The document, issued as Guohan No. 99 of 2026 and dated 28 September 2026, responds to a submission from the National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission. For foreign founders building businesses in China's health and elder-care ecosystem, the reply is a short document, but it signals the policy direction that regulators, local governments and state agencies will follow when implementing the plan.

What the Approval Document Actually Says

Approval in principle and implementation

The State Council states that it agrees in principle with the implementation plan and asks the two commissioning departments to organise its implementation seriously. The reply does not set out the detailed measures of the plan itself; those are contained in the implementation plan, which the reply references rather than reproduces. Founders should therefore treat the reply as the authorising instrument and look for the plan's operational details from the health authorities.

The guiding framework

The second paragraph sets out the policy framework that implementation must follow. It refers to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and to the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and its plenary sessions. It also states that implementation must follow the path of health development with Chinese characteristics, apply the health and health work policy of the new era, and pursue both the health-priority development strategy and the national strategy for actively responding to population ageing.

The operative focus is summarised in four terms: capacity expansion, quality improvement, balance, and continuity. The document directs that resources for medical rehabilitation and nursing be increased in a coordinated way, with primary-level care as the priority, and that service capacity be further raised. The stated aim is to accelerate the construction of a service system that is functionally complete, linked between higher and lower levels, integrated between Chinese and Western medicine, efficient and accessible. The ultimate objective is to better meet the health needs of the whole population, across all dimensions and throughout the life cycle.

Roles for provincial governments

The third paragraph assigns responsibility to the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government. They are told to strengthen organisational leadership, clarify the division of responsibilities, refine implementation measures, and ensure that the plan's objectives, tasks and policy measures are carried through. Localities are encouraged to draw on their own strengths and to innovate measures suited to local conditions when expanding and improving medical rehabilitation and nursing services.

Coordination across central departments

The fourth paragraph addresses State Council departments and units. Each is to act within its assigned functions, strengthen coordination and cooperation, improve guidance, and detail concrete support measures so that policies across government work together to advance the expansion effort. The National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission are to strengthen overall coordination, track implementation progress in a timely way, and summarise and promote typical experience at appropriate points. Major matters are to be reported to the Party Central Committee and the State Council through established procedures.

Why This Matters for Foreign Founders

The reply is a policy authorisation, not a market-opening measure, and it does not create new entitlements for foreign investors. Its practical value lies in what it tells you about where administrative attention and local government action are heading.

• Primary-level care is the stated priority. The document explicitly names primary-level services as the focus for increasing resources. Founders working on community-level rehabilitation, home nursing or service models that connect hospitals with lower-tier providers should expect local policy experimentation in this space.
• Localities are invited to innovate. Provincial governments are encouraged to design measures suited to local conditions. This means rules and support measures may differ between regions, so founders should check the implementing documents of the specific province or municipality where they register and operate.
• Inter-agency coordination is mandated. Because the health and development and reform commissions are tasked with coordination and progress tracking, founders engaging with regulators may find that questions touching rehabilitation and nursing services involve more than one department.
• The service model is broad. The reference to integrating Chinese and Western medicine, and to continuity of care, indicates that the policy envisages a connected system rather than isolated facilities. Business models that depend on referrals, data flows or partnerships across care levels should be designed with that connected-system logic in mind.

Practical Steps for Founders

Watch for the implementing plan and local rules

The State Council reply approves the plan but does not publish its detailed contents. Founders should monitor publications from the National Health Commission and from provincial health commissions for the plan text and for local implementation measures. Registration and licensing questions in the health sector are typically governed by those more specific documents rather than by a State Council reply.

Align your positioning with the stated priorities

Where your business touches rehabilitation, nursing or elder care, describing your activities in terms of capacity expansion, quality improvement, balance across regions and continuity of care may help when discussing your project with local authorities. The document gives those four terms explicit policy weight.

Engage at the right level

Because provincial governments carry organisational responsibility and are encouraged to tailor measures, early engagement with the local health and development and reform authorities in your intended location is likely to be more informative than relying on the national text alone.

Keep documentation current

Policy implementation will be tracked and typical experience promoted, which suggests a moving landscape. Founders should keep their registration documents, scope of business and licence applications consistent with the latest local guidance as implementing measures appear.

Key Takeaways

• The State Council approved in principle the implementation plan for expanding medical rehabilitation and nursing services on 28 September 2026.
• The policy focus is summarised as capacity expansion, quality improvement, balance and continuity, with primary-level care as the priority.
• Provincial governments are responsible for implementation and are encouraged to innovate according to local conditions.
• The National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission are to coordinate, track progress and promote typical experience.
• The reply does not itself set out detailed market-access rules or investor-specific measures.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.