Objective: To analyze the current situation of essential drugs provision and use in primary health care institutions and explore problems in the implementation of national essential medicine policy in order to provide feasible suggestions for ensuring the supply of drugs. Methods: Using the method of multi-stage stratified sampling, a questionnaire survey among 634 patients and 279 full-time doctors from 11 primary health care institutions was conducted in Jiangsu. Results: A total of 35.6% of doctors perceived increasing situation of drug shortage and the perception of doctors was different in different regions; 32.4% of doctors experienced the decline in prices of drugs and the experience was different in different regions; 79.2% of patients considered that the drugs provided by primary care institutions can satisfy medical need and patients in different regions had different perceptions of medical needs. Besides, region and income are factors that influence the patients’ need for whether primary health institutions need to be equipped with more types of drugs. Conclusion: In order to solve the problems of insufficient drug supply, it is necessary to further implement the policy of allowing the primary care institutions to equip a certain proportion of drugs out of the essential drugs list while in the drug reimbursement list. The government also should improve the essential drugs list and strengthen supervision over the bidding, procurement and circulation of drugs, and increase financial input and support for supply of medicines in non-southern Jiangsu region.