China launches 'personal medical cloud' to enhance healthcare for the insured

The National Healthcare Security Administration has elevated the "personal medical cloud" service to the top of its agenda for the 2026–30 period, promising to turn vast streams of insurance data into smarter, more responsive care for the country's 1.33 billion insured people.

The project, which heads the administration's list of key public services for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, was unveiled by NHSA deputy head Wang Wenjun at a State Council Information Office news conference on Friday.

She described it as an intelligent service hub built on the national unified medical insurance information platform. It aggregates, processes and applies full-time, full-coverage, multi-dimensional personal insurance data across the entire lifecycle — from insurance enrollment and medical treatment to drug purchases.

For ordinary residents, the cloud promises three concrete improvements.

Based on each user's own profile, the system will offer customized cost analyses, continuous medication management, treatment guidance and an intelligent chatbot — making medical insurance inquiries "as simple as having a conversation", Wang said.

Once imaging, pathology, lab results, disease histories and allergy records are stored in the cloud, patients can authorize doctors to access their full portfolio across different hospitals. That, Wang noted, will significantly cut both waiting time and out-of-pocket costs.

And the security of the insurance fund will be tightened. The NHSA will log every single settlement transaction — more than 8 billion transactions a year, worth 3 trillion yuan ($447 billion) — so that the entire flow of money is fully traceable.

That, Wang said, will enable precise enforcement against fraud and better protect the "lifeline savings" of the insured.

"We welcome enterprises and research institutions to join us in building the personal medical cloud," Wang added.

"Together, we can harness the power of digital intelligence to safeguard the health of all our people."