OBJECTIVES: To assess patient satisfaction with the implementation effect in community health services under the context of the essential medicines policy in China. METHODS:  A stratified random sampling strategy was adopted to select 1037 participants in 40 community health centers from four provinces. Patient satisfaction was rated on a five-point Likert scale (from 1-very dissatisfied to 5-very satisfied) covering four domains: availability, affordability, effectiveness and safety. RESULTS: The study participants expressed a moderate degree of satisfaction, with a rating in the range of 66-82 out of a total of 100. Older people, those covered by insurance and those with a lower level of education tended to have higher ratings. While eastern (wealthy) residents were more likely to be concerned with “effectiveness”, western (poor) residents were more likely to be concerned with “affordability”. CONCLUSIONS: As a whole, the implementation effect of the NEMP begins to take effect, but the patient satisfaction is different to essential medicines policy in different area.