Hospitals in China, as in many parts of the world, are facing unpreced
ented changes. The situation in China may be more complicated than in
some countries, because these changes are compounded by the influence
of major changes in the macro-economic system as well. In response to
this situation the Chinese Ministry of Public Health has launched a ma
jor initiative to strengthen the management of their hospitals. This a
rticle reports on the plan of action for management improvement in the
areas of administrative training, management structure, staff motivat
ion, information system, with emphasis on quality and inter-hospital c
ooperation. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.