China overhauls ‘unfair’ rules that excluded chronic disease carriers from civil service

Campaigners hail end to policy that excluded candidates with common blood, kidney or thyroid conditions from public service roles

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Candidates for the civil service exam wait outside a testing centre in central China. The “iron rice bowl” jobs are highly prized. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 10:00am, 23 Nov 2025Updated: 10:17am, 23 Nov 2025

China has loosened its civil service medical rules so that sufferers from three chronic diseases will no longer be barred, a move hailed by campaigners and legal groups as a landmark in the fight against unfair employment practices.

The updated rules were issued on November 14 by the General Office of the Central Committee’s Organisation Department, which oversees the recruitment process, and the National Health Commission.

Amid a tough job market in China, many qualified candidates for civil service jobs have previously been rejected after physical exams found they were carrying the conditions.

Compounding the issue, these standards were adopted in other sectors such as education and technology, heightening concerns about discrimination in the workplace.

Carriers of the thalassaemia gene, which can cause inherited blood disorders, will no longer be automatically excluded so long as they have a silent or mild form of the disease and their haemoglobin is above a certain level.

Those with polycystic kidney disease will also be eligible for civil service jobs if there is no sign of kidney problems or high protein levels in their urine.

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