China to further efforts for universal health coverage

BEIJING - China is looking to make quality medical resources available to more people, according to the National Health Commission.

"To raise the quality and level of universal healthcare, we need to improve the equity and inclusiveness of basic public healthcare," said Wang Hesheng, deputy director of the commission.

The focus of public healthcare work will be on the grassroots level with more resources, and more hospitals "on people's doorsteps."

The training of general practitioners will be strengthened, and the country's bigger hospitals will join medical unions to make referrals easier, Wang said.

He also said that the healthcare departments will work on health education, to put everyone "in charge" of their own well-being.

World Health Day falls on Saturday this year, with a theme of "Universal Health Care: Everyone, Everywhere."