With senior citizens aged 60 or over accounting for 21 percent of China's population, more and more attention is being focused on healthcare. The government has pledged to build a healthy China by 2035, a goal that it aspires to meet by addressing regional disparities and bringing major health indicators up to par with those of high-income countries.

China has long grappled with imbalances in the distribution of medical resources. Patients often need to seek treatment at large hospitals in major metropolises such as Beijing, where they can receive the best possible treatment. China's healthcare reform has focused on channeling resources to local and regional hospitals to make high-quality care more accessible and affordable. Building regional medical centers is one reform initiative for this purpose, under which top-notch hospitals, usually in major cities, are encouraged to establish branches in regions with insufficient medical resources. The initiative aims to ensure patients with severe illnesses are well treated in their own provinces. At the same time, community-level healthcare services are being strengthened so people can get treated for minor illnesses more conveniently.

In a bid to lower prices for medical services, the government has been promoting centralized procurement. In 2023, two rounds of drug bulk-buying were organized, on average more than halving the prices of 80 medicines. There was also a bulk procurement program for intraocular lenses—the artificial lenses that replace natural ones in cataract surgeries—and other medical consumables, resulting in a 70-percent price cut on average.

China has put in place the world's largest basic healthcare insurance network. Participation is voluntary and the network now covers over 95 percent of China's citizens. Official data showed that the proportion of healthcare expenditures borne by individuals stood at 27.3 percent in 2023, lower than the 46 percent covered by basic healthcare network, private health insurance and other societal sources, but slightly higher than the 26.7 percent paid by the government.

Notably, China takes pride in its dedicated health workers. The 15 million plus health workers, including doctors ranging from general practitioners serving their communities to specialists performing complex surgeries, form the backbone of the country's healthcare system. Their work is commendable and crucial for building a healthy China.