Abstract: Objective The study analyzed the trends of funding input of higherpublic health professional institutions which organized undergraduate health professional education after the numeric expansion of enrollment in China. Methods Quantitative analysis was used to analyze the time trend characteristics of the scale and funding input of health professional institutions in China from 1998 to 2011. Equity index was used to analyze the degree and source of funding input. Results The number and scale of higher health professional institutions have been increased, with an average annual growth rate of 4.22% for institutions and 19.04% for students between 1998 and 2011. The level of funding input also increased. The total input in 2003 increased by 9.33 times compared with that in 1998, and the funding per student increased somewhat. Unbalanced situations existed in different regions, which were mainly from within regions. The gap between central and western regions had widened since 2008. Conclusions It is suggested to scientifically regulate the scale of health professional institutions, continue to increase the funding level and set a long-term mechanism of funding input to ensure the quality of health professional education and the quality between provinces.

Key words: Higher health professional institutions, College enrollment expansion, Annual funding per student, Equity