In a national meeting on health held in Beijing on Friday and Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the government is making public health a major priority.
Xi stressed at the meeting that a healthy population is a prerequisite to realizing a "moderately prosperous society," something the Chinese government has pledged to achieve in the past few decades.
Xi acknowledged that issues such as "industrialization, urbanization and an aging population, combined with changes in the environment and people's lifestyles" have put the health of Chinese people under "multiple and complicated risks." He added: "China is facing health problems that occur in developing countries as well as developed countries."
To address the various challenges, Xi said the the government would focus on changes at the local level and would push for reform in the healthcare system to create momentum for improved public health. Under this approach, local governments are encouraged to draft their own health development plans based on their individual situations to elevate the quality of basic medical services. In the meantime, Xi said that the market can revitalize non-basic services.
Regarding environmental problems, which often damage locals' health, Xi said that the government will implement "green development" and adopt the "strictest system of environmental protection."
The President said reform of the country's healthcare system had entered a "difficult stage." He called on society and all government agencies to work together to achieve "breakthroughs in modern hospital management, health insurance, medical supplies, comprehensive supervision, and a diagnosis and treatment mechanism."
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also delivered a speech during the two-day forum. Li pushed for devoting more medical resources to the country's rural and impoverished regions, with better insurance to support patients.
The meeting appeared to serve as a response to the public's growing anxiety over the country's progressively complex health issues. With improved living standards, thanks to the rapid economic growth of the past decades, China is increasingly challenged with a wider variety of health-related issues, stemming from environment damage, pollution and inadequate food security. These factors have made public health one of the most concerning issues among Chinese today.