Improving Equitable Access to Antenatal Care in China: Challenges and Potential Innovative Approaches

Achieving equitable antenatal care (ANC) is fundamental to China’s ‘Healthy China 2030’ agenda and its universal health coverage (UHC) commitments. Despite measurable national progress, substantial urban-rural and regional disparities in ANC access persist, driven by a complex interplay of financial, geographic, institutional, and digital barriers that disproportionately affect rural, low-income, and migrant populations. This analysis examines the current landscape of ANC in China, identifying core structural challenges including the enduring legacy of the hukou (household registration) system, a widening digital divide, and the maldistribution of healthcare resources. We contend that piecemeal interventions are insufficient to address these deeply rooted inequities. Instead, this Viewpoint advances an integrated ‘spatial-technology-institutional’ strategy that synergizes innovations across three mutually reinforcing domains: optimizing tiered healthcare delivery through smart payment reforms, deploying geospatial tools for evidence-based resource allocation, constructing an inclusive digital ANC ecosystem, and establishing sustainable talent incentive mechanisms for grassroots healthcare workers. By implementing this coordinated, multi-pronged approach, China can systematically dismantle geographic inequities in maternal health and ensure equitable ANC access for all women.