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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Vladivostok, December 12 (Xinhua) — Thanks to tireless efforts, the health of China's population continues to steadily improve, with life expectancy reaching 79 years in 2024. This was stated recently by Chinese Consul General in Khabarovsk Jiang Xiaoyang in a written interview published in the Khabarovsk newspaper "Medical Newspaper."
As the Consul General noted, since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has consistently prioritized the people's health, comprehensively strengthened the Party's leadership in healthcare, made a number of important strategic decisions, and contributed to a historic leap in the development of China's healthcare system, achieving comprehensive and innovative successes.
First, Jiang Xiaoyang pointed out, China has created the world's largest healthcare system. As of the end of 2024, the country had 1.09 million healthcare facilities and 15.78 million healthcare workers, making healthcare accessible to residents within 15 minutes.
Secondly, the public health and epidemiological protection network has become more robust. The country is implementing the national "Healthy China" strategy, and the state provides preventive vaccinations for 15 diseases. Premature mortality from major chronic diseases has decreased by 10.6 percent, and the incidence of tuberculosis, hepatitis B, AIDS, and other infectious diseases continues to decline or remains low. Furthermore, the country has withstood the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the diplomat added, unlike anything seen in a century.
Third, the reform of the medical, pharmaceutical, and healthcare systems continues to deepen. Regional reforms, based on local conditions, are underway in areas such as personnel training, service prices, wages, budget subsidies, and comprehensive oversight. Jiang Xiaoyang noted that 70 cities are receiving government funding to promote high-quality development and pilot reforms of public hospitals.
Fourth, he continued, positive progress has been made in the revival and development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). "We adhere to the principle of equal attention to TCM and Western medicine, are implementing a major project to revive and develop TCM, and are advancing the construction of a TCM service system, which plays a unique role in disease prevention and treatment," the Consul General noted.
Fifth, measures to stimulate the birth rate are being consistently implemented, including extending maternity leave, strengthening pregnancy support services, applying special tax deductions, and gradually introducing free preschool education.
Jiang Xiaoyang recalled that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee reviewed and adopted the CPC Central Committee's proposals for drafting the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. Based on the goal of achieving comprehensive human development and taking confident steps toward the common enrichment of the people, the proposals set forth clear requirements and adopted important measures to accelerate the construction of a "Healthy China" and "promote high-quality human development."
According to him, accelerating the construction of a “Healthy China” focuses on three main aspects:
Firstly, it is necessary to implement the strategy of priority development of health, which involves improving the system of policies and institutions in the field of health promotion, increasing the effectiveness of the “patriotic campaign for hygiene and sanitation”, continuously increasing life expectancy and improving the health level of the people.
Secondly, it is necessary to combine development and security to provide strong guarantees and support for socioeconomic development. In this regard, it is necessary to strengthen public health capacity, combat major infectious diseases, organize comprehensive preventive and therapeutic care for chronic diseases, comprehensively improve the effectiveness of emergency medical care, and strengthen mental health services, the Consul General added.
Third, he continued, it is necessary to provide the population with fair, accessible, systematic, sustainable, high-quality, and effective healthcare services. It is essential to promote coordinated development and management in the fields of medicine, health insurance, and pharmaceuticals to make healthcare more convenient and effective for the population.
The diplomat noted that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China's population aging will continue to deepen, leading to a growing need for medical care for individuals with loss of independence and cognitive impairment, as well as hospice care for patients with terminal illnesses. In this regard, China plans to strengthen scientific and technological innovation in addressing major healthcare challenges, comprehensively expand the provision of services such as rehabilitation, nursing, and hospice care in urban and rural areas, launch a campaign to improve the health of the elderly, enhance the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of age-related diseases, and implement a long-term care insurance system. Authorities will also expand the provision of outpatient medical services and home care services for people with disabilities and the elderly, and develop family physician services to provide better care for the elderly and people with disabilities, reflecting the warmth of public services and the progress of social civilization, Jiang Xiaoyang added.
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