Objective: To explore the distribution and difference of medical resources among 31 provinces (municipalities) in China. Methods and process: According to the health resource indicators of 31 provinces in China Health Statistical Yearbook and China Statistical Yearbook, we described and analyzed the total amount of medical and health resources, per capita medical and health resources and high-quality medical resources. By using cluster analysis and RSR (Rank-sum ratio) comprehensive evaluation method, the difference of medical resources among 31 provinces in China in 2020 was calculated, and the medical resources of each province were classified, compared and analyzed to describe the difference. Results and conclusions: (1) From the perspective of total medical resources, the total medical resources in the western region are far less than those in the eastern region, showing a situation of "more in the east and less in the west". Provinces with large populations have large medical resources. Developed cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have great advantages in medical and health financial resources, while provinces in remote areas are extremely backward in human, material and financial resources.(2)Unbalanced distribution of high-quality medical resources: tertiary hospitals are mainly concentrated in eastern and central China. The number and scale of tertiary hospitals in western China are obviously backward. China's top 100 hospitals are mainly distributed in the first tier and economically developed cities. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou accounted for half of the top 100 hospitals. Nearly half of China's provinces have no hospitals on the "Top 100" list. (3) Per capita medical resources vary greatly. The per capita level of medical resources in the three northeastern provinces (Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Sichuan, Beijing and Shanghai) is relatively high. The per capita level of medical resources in Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Ningxia and other provinces is low.

Dengwang Yao, Ruiyang Yu, Rong Zhang. Whether the Distribution of Medical Resources among Provinces is Balanced. International Journal of Frontiers in Medicine (2023), Vol. 5, Issue 5: 7-16. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFM.2023.050502.

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