The coupling coordination development of rural medical health service and rural economy: Evidence from China

The equity of rural medical health services and their coordination with the rural economy needs to be clarified. This article reports on the coupling coordination development of rural medical health services and the economy in China. We used panel data for 29 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2009 to 2019 to analyze the development level and coupling coordination degree of rural medical health services and rural economy from a spatial and temporal perspective. Using a spatial autocorrelation test, the correlation of the coupling coordination degree of each administrative region and the spatial clustering characteristics of the coupling coordination degree of the east, central, west, and northeast regions was analyzed. Results showed that the level of development of the two subsystems turned from 2014. The rural economy was gradually catching up with medical and health services, yet rural health services had always been important in the development of the system, coupling coordination degree. Spatially, the development level and coupling coordination of the subsystem showed a “high eastern” distribution pattern, while the inequity among provincial-level administrative regions in the east was more significant. The subsystems of 29 provincial-level administrative regions exhibited both spatial-temporal differences and positive spatial correlation. The phenomenon of regional differentiation and imbalance still exists in rural China. It indicates that neighboring regions influence each other and produce a spillover effect, so promoting regional linkage can better promote balanced regional development. These findings will help the government to implement targeted policies to improve health quality and health equity in rural areas.