The uneven distribution of medical resources for severe diseases in China: An analysis of the disparity in inter-city patient mobility

The uneven distribution of medical resources in China has been a persistent concern. This is particularly evident among patients with severe diseases, who often seek better medical resources, resulting in inter-city patient mobility. This research aims to analyze the uneven distribution of medical resources for these patients in China, focusing on their inter-city mobility patterns. Using patients' information (n = 202,817) collected from a nationwide severe disease mutual aid platform in China, we explored variations in travel willingness, travel time, and travel distance between 2018 and 2021. We further decomposed the samples into subgroups and stressed the patterns related to patients' demographic background, disease types, and accessed medical treatment using the Theil index. Findings from disparity in inter-city patient mobility suggest that medical resources accessed by patients with higher health awareness, with digestive and bone marrow or blood diseases, and those not seeking acute care are relatively more unevenly distributed. Modern medicine and higher-quality hospitals accessed by patients are also more unevenly distributed. These findings complement existing studies and are also accompanied by policy suggestions.