Guangzhou has always put people first by improving its basic health facilities, optimizing its medical resources and raising the quality and standard of its medical services. Since the beginning of the medical reform, Guangzhou’s financial departments at all levels have invested over RMB 1 billion in the construction of community medical and health service premises, increased the number of community medical and health institutions and enhanced the medical service environment. By the end of May 2012, 136 community medical and health service centers and 153 community medical and health service stations had been set up in the city, covering all the sub-districts. Thus the 15-minute urban medical and health service circles for the local residents have basically formed in the city. In 2011, the person-times of medical treatment at the grassroots medical and health institutions accounted for 45.61 percent of the total person-times of medical treatment at all the medical and health service institutions in the city. The difficulty of the residents in seeking medical treatment has been relieved significantly.

During the period of the "11th Five-year Plan" (2006-2010), the general level of the citizens' health markedly improved, and was close to that in developed countries and regions. The health resources in the whole city have been obviously increased. The structure of the resource distribution and the health care team has also been further optimized. The service capacity has been strengthened continuously; and the development of grass-root health work has been accelerated.  Hence the reform of strengthening pharmaceutical and healthcare systems has been carried out in an all-round way, with a three-level health care system being built up in the rural areas basically. Thus the objective of the equalization of the public health services in urban and rural areas has been progressing positively. Further and equally importantly, there have been new achievements made in the construction of a city competitive in traditional Chinese medicine and of up to date medical information systems, etc. Hence the response capacity to public health emergencies has been further improved.

To perfect its construction of public sanitary system, Guangzhou established the Office of Public Sanitary Emergency Preparedness. The cities and counties under Guangzhou jurisdiction have all established corresponding offices. All these have greatly enhanced the city's capacity to respond to emergency situations and to the demand for public health service.

Guangzhou is endeavoring to develop itself into a major center of traditional Chinese medicine. Guangzhou has set up a national base for innovative biological drugs. Biological drug manufacturing has become the 4th pillar industry of Guangzhou.