BACKGROUND: The focus of the study is to assess the defects of the public health functions of the Chinese government in the prevention and control of COVID-19 and to explore ways to improve the public health functions of the Chinese government. METHODS: This study adopted a qualitative design. A logical framework based on the theoretical underpinning of public health functions of the government in the prevention and control of a major public health crisis was constructed. We compared the public health functions of the Chinese government and the effectiveness of these functions for COVID-19. RESULTS: The defects of the public health functions of the Chinese government in the prevention and control of COVID-19 include a lack of crisis prediction, initiative and timeliness in crisis early warning functions; weak crisis security functions; and a lack of functions for handling the aftermath. The Chinese government should improve its crisis early warning functions, strengthen its crisis security functions, and establish functions for handling the aftermath. CONCLUSION: The defects of the public health functions of the Chinese government in the prevention and control of COVID-19 can provide referential value for other countries. Especially, by continuously improving the construction of standard pandemic early warning procedures and regulations, optimizing the pandemic treatment system, and strengthening the fairness and accessibility of medical services, countries with severe pandemic situations may be able to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on public health more efficiently.
Analysis of the Public Health Functions of the Chinese Government in the Prevention and Control of COVID-19