BEIJING, April 9 -- The Chinese government has rolled out a set of measures to speed up the development of a tiered diagnosis and treatment system, with the goal of making healthcare more accessible and convenient for the public.

The measures, recently released by the State Council, focus on encouraging people to seek initial diagnosis at grassroots-level medical institutions, especially for common and chronic diseases, while directing top-tier hospitals to focus on treating severe, critical and complex cases.

Under the measures, expert outpatient services will be extended to local medical centers to attract more patients, with higher-level hospitals providing support to enhance the service capacity of grassroots healthcare institutions.

The measures also propose improving the quality and effectiveness of family doctor contract services and strengthening the management of patient referral services.