"We must shift the focus of healthcare to the community level, channel more medical resources to local communities, and promote equal access to basic public services in urban and rural areas," said Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Shiye township, east China's Jiangsu Province in December 2014.
This is to provide people with safe, effective, accessible and affordable public health services and basic medical care, and effectively address the difficulties and high costs people face in accessing medical care at the local level, he added.
Since the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress in late 2012, the CPC has given people's health strategic priority. It made the major decision to advance the Healthy China Initiative nationwide.
The results are visible in the numbers. In 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, the country's average life expectancy was 35 years. According to China's National Health Commission (NHC), by 2025 it reached 79.25 years. Infant mortality has fallen to 3.8 per 1,000 live births. Maternal mortality is down to 13.4 per 100,000. Deaths from major chronic diseases before age 70 have fallen to 13.8%.
China has also built the world's largest basic healthcare security system. According to the NHC, more than 1.1 million hospitals and clinics cover both urban and rural areas. Basic medical services reach 1.4 billion people. And over 90% of residents live within 15 minutes of a healthcare facility.