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Significant progress in China's medical and health services in 2019

(People's Daily Online)    17:41, December 31, 2019

A photo taken on April 25 shows a child receiving a vaccine at a disease prevention and control center in Xinle City, north China's Hebei province. (Photo by Jia Minjie/Xinhua)

China has made significant progress in its efforts in medical and health services this year. It has made more resources available for community-level health programs and made it easier for people to get more affordable medical treatment.

The State Council, China's cabinet, issued a new guideline to implement the country's Healthy China initiative and promote people's health. Focusing on disease prevention and health promotion, the new guideline launched 15 special campaigns to intervene in health influencing factors, protect full life-cycle health and prevent and control major diseases.

An action plan for 2019-2030 devised by a newly established special committee of the State Council was also issued, specifying the objectives and tasks of each campaign.

The National Healthcare Security Administration released a document on a new trial program on centralized medicine procurement and use to reduce the financial burdens of patients across the country.

Thanks to the previous trial program in 11 cities, the average price reduction of the first 25 medicines incorporated in the pilot program was 52 percent, and the highest price reduction was over 90 percent.

The State Council also released a guideline on promoting the inheritance, innovation and development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Currently, TCM has been spread to 183 countries and regions around the world, and international TCM cooperation is advancing in all dimensions, at all levels, and in multiple areas.

In April, the State Council urged diversified and multilevel service for the elderly, in addition to basic care. In recent years, the central government has invested 3 billion yuan to support home-based elderly care services supported by urban communities. Meanwhile, old-age service facilities now cover more than 50 percent of rural communities.

China also adopted the vaccine administration law, which took effect on Dec. 1, to ensure vaccine safety. According to the law, the supervision of vaccines covers the whole process from vaccine development, production and distribution to vaccination. The law also imposes tough punishments on those who violate it, stipulating that people whose violations constitute a crime shall bear heavier criminal responsibility.

The progress in medical and health services is also inseparable from the efforts of health and aid workers. China now has about 3.61 million registered doctors and 1.38 million village doctors.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)

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