Decisive progress in Healthy China Initiative calls for concrete actions along charted path: China Daily editorial

Building the world's largest public healthcare and social security systems for more than 1.4 billion people is an extraordinary achievement for a developing country. But China's objective goes further. Having substantially expanded access to healthcare, the country is now seeking to make better health a driving force of modernization and national rejuvenation.

At a national meeting on health in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, President Xi Jinping called for efforts to firmly follow a path with Chinese characteristics in developing the country's health programs to secure decisive progress in the Healthy China Initiative over the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, the Party has made a major decision to launch the Healthy China Initiative, promoting the establishment of the world's largest systems of medical services, traditional medicine, disease prevention and control, and healthcare security.

About 1.1 million medical and health institutions serve the population today, while over 90 percent of residents can reach medical facilities within 15 minutes. Basic medical insurance covers approximately 95 percent of the population. By 2025, the average life expectancy of the Chinese population had reached 79.25 years. Infant mortality had fallen to 3.8 per 1,000 live births, while maternal mortality declined to 13.4 per 100,000.

Such progress demonstrates what sustained policy commitment, institutional coordination and people-centered development can accomplish on an enormous scale. It also shows how safeguarding people's health has evolved from a public service responsibility into a strategic component of national development.

Yet the significance of Xi's remarks at the meeting lies not simply in recognizing these achievements, but more importantly in identifying what must come next.

The goal is to build a Healthy China, where health services are ensured in a balanced, inclusive, high-quality and efficient manner. Therefore, a major challenge during the 15th Five-Year Plan is to turn extensive healthcare coverage into equitable, efficient and quality health services.

To that end, coordinating the development and regulation of medical services, medical insurance and pharmaceuticals should be a key priority in reforming China's medical and healthcare systems.

Xi underscored the need to optimize the functions and structural layout of medical institutions so that people can access medical care close to home and receive effective treatment.

Prevention, as Xi pointed out, is the most cost-effective and efficient approach to protecting public health. He called for greater emphasis on foundational health work, addressing risks at their source and encouraging the public to adopt a sound understanding of health and take an active role in managing their own well-being.

That will effectively help the nation build a stronger disease prevention and control system to guard against large-scale outbreaks.

In the process, more efforts should be made to improve mechanisms for the preservation and innovative development of traditional Chinese medicine, strengthen basic research and original innovation in the health sector, and enhance the patient experience. It is also crucial to train and develop a sufficient number of highly qualified medical professionals.

China's experience also carries significance beyond its borders. Its medical assistance, international health cooperation and participation in global disease prevention demonstrate the nation's commitment to improving the health of humanity and contributing to global development.

Efforts will also be made to actively promote the building of a global community of health for all, work with other countries to address major challenges in the health sector, and continuously improve the health and well-being of people around the world, Xi said.

People's health is a key benchmark of a nation's prosperity and strength. Xi stressed that people's health should be factored into all policies and reflected in every aspect of work.

China's approach recognizes that people's health determines the quality of human development, the resilience of society and the sustainability of high-quality development. Investing in health is therefore an investment in the country's future.