XI HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY CHINA INITIATIVE

BEIJING, OCTOBER 14 /SRNA/ - Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted the importance of the "Healthy China" initiative in an address to the National Health Conference, saying the country should build a balanced, inclusive, high-quality and efficient healthcare system with strong health governance capacity.

"It should have strong capabilities in disease prevention and control, quality medical services, health insurance support, pharmaceutical innovation and talent training, so as to effectively meet people's growing health needs and ensure continued improvement in key health indicators," Xi said.

The National Health Conference was held in Beijing on October 12 and 13, with Xi saying that people's health was an important indicator of a country's prosperity and strength.

He called for consistently following a path with Chinese characteristics in developing the country's health programs in order to achieve decisive progress under the "Healthy China" initiative during the 2026-2030 five-year plan period.

Xi said that since the 18th National Congress, the Communist Party of China Central Committee had placed the protection of people's health in a strategic position in national development, set guidelines for health work in the new era and adopted major decisions and plans for building a healthier China.

He also highlighted the development of the world's largest medical service system, a traditional medicine system, a disease prevention and control system and a healthcare system.

Xi said health-related work played a fundamental and wide-ranging role and that the strategy of giving priority to healthcare development must be implemented consistently.

"People's health must be integrated into various strategies and reflected in all areas of work," Xi added.

He stressed that prevention was the most effective healthcare strategy and called on society as a whole to foster a sound understanding of health, young people to develop healthy lifestyles, the public to exercise regularly and the relevant authorities to strengthen food safety supervision.

Xi said raising the overall level of healthcare was a key challenge in building a healthier China.

"This includes carrying out medical and health infrastructure projects, strengthening comprehensive prevention and control of chronic diseases, improving mechanisms for the inheritance, innovation and development of traditional Chinese medicine, and strengthening the integration of Chinese and Western medicine," Xi said.

He said reform was a powerful driving force for the development of healthcare and called for coordinated development and management of medical care, health insurance and pharmaceuticals to remain the main direction of reform of the medical and healthcare system.

According to Xi, the reform plan for healthcare institutions should be fully implemented, with a continued focus on the public interest in reforming state hospitals and stronger support for hospitals and primary healthcare institutions at municipal and local levels.

"A multi-tiered health insurance system should be built, while centralized procurement of medicines and medical supplies, insurance payment policies and the use of funds should be optimized so that funds operate safely, hospitals function normally and costs for citizens remain reasonable," Xi said.

He also called for improving mechanisms to ensure the supply of medicines and manage their use, strengthening the national essential medicines system and tightening quality and safety controls.

Xi said protecting people's health also required strengthening the healthcare workforce, China Media Group reported.

He said strong leaders should be carefully selected at all levels of health administration and healthcare institutions, while efforts should be made to ensure an adequate number of medical workers with the right structure and high professional standards.

"Medical ethics must be strengthened, a sound professional environment created, and a society fostered that respects doctors and values healthcare," Xi said.

Xi also stressed that health for all was a shared vision of humanity and called for active efforts to build a global community of public health, jointly respond to major health and medical challenges, and continuously improve the health and well-being of people in all countries.

"Cooperation in health and medicine along the Belt and Road should be deepened, while humanitarian medical assistance should be strengthened and made more innovative," Xi concluded.