To provide a reference for the expansion and balanced distribution of quality medical resources, thereby promoting maternal and child health.

This study utilized panel data from 31 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions from 2012 to 2021. The Moran I index and Getas-Ord G* index were employed to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics and hotspot distributions of quality medical resources. The Grossman health production function was used to explore the effects of quality medical resources on maternal and child health.

From 2012 to 2021, the overall quality of medical resources in China showed an upward trend, with the number of tertiary hospitals increasing from 1 624 to 3 275, increasing by 101.66%.The Moran I indices for the years 2012, 2017, and 2021 were 0.292, 0.286, and 0.264, respectively, indicating a declining trend in the spatial autocorrelation of quality medical resources. For every additional tertiary hospital per 10 000 square kilometers, the infant mortality rate decreased by approximately 2.73‰, and the maternal mortality rate decreased by about 0.25 per 100 000.

The overall trend of quality medical resources in China is upward, with the eastern region experiencing the highest increase in quality medical resources, while the western region shows the greatest percentage increase. A significant“East-Central-West” hierarchical differentiation pattern exists, characterized by a spatial clustering distribution, where the eastern region is high, the central region is relatively high, and the western region is low. The effects of quality medical resources on maternal and child health are significant, negatively impacting both infant and maternal mortality rates.