Key facts
- China's 15th Five-Year Plan for National Health has been unveiled.
- The plan aims to increase average life expectancy to 80 years by 2030.
- It includes measures to control the expansion of large urban hospitals.
- The strategy promotes the use of artificial intelligence in the pharmaceutical sector.
- The plan outlines 24 key tasks for healthcare system modernization.
- The focus is shifting towards disease prevention.
The Chinese government has introduced its 15th Five-Year Plan for National Health, a comprehensive strategy designed to enhance the nation's healthcare system. A primary objective is to raise the average life expectancy to 80 years by the year 2030. The plan signals a strategic shift from a reactive approach focused on treating illnesses to a proactive emphasis on disease prevention.
Key components of the plan include measures to rein in the unchecked expansion of massive urban hospitals, which often strain resources and draw patients away from smaller facilities. Concurrently, the blueprint aims to accelerate the integration and adoption of artificial intelligence across the pharmaceutical sector, fostering innovation and efficiency.
Issued by the State Council, the plan details 24 critical tasks intended to modernize China's healthcare infrastructure and services over the next five years. The overarching goal is to elevate China's clinical medicine capabilities to advanced global standards and ensure its core health indicators are comparable to those of high-income countries.