China is making significant strides to improve healthcare access for its population of over 1.4 billion people through the Healthy China Initiative. This comprehensive effort focuses on expanding affordable healthcare by enhancing rural medical facilities, improving health insurance coverage, and increasing accessibility to quality medical services. President Xi Jinping has underscored the need to channel more medical resources to community-level institutions, ensuring that both urban and rural residents receive essential healthcare services.
During a visit to a township clinic in Jiangsu province in December 2014, President Xi called for better local medical facilities and the reduction of difficulties and costs associated with accessing treatment. To this end, China has implemented reforms in hospital management, medical insurance, medicine supplies, healthcare supervision, and tiered medical services. These measures are designed to ensure that severe illnesses are treated within provinces, common conditions within cities or counties, and routine health issues at local facilities.
China has established 125 national regional medical centers, with a significant number located in central and western regions where advanced medical resources are less prevalent. More than 90 percent of residents can access nearby medical services within 15 minutes, and primary-level institutions account for over half of the medical visits nationwide. The initiative also emphasizes preventive healthcare, particularly for children and the elderly, with efforts like reducing childhood myopia rates over five consecutive years from 2021 to 2025.
The country’s healthcare strategy increasingly values medical technology and pharmaceutical innovation. The government is promoting digital healthcare, artificial intelligence applications, and the development of domestic medicines, vaccines, medical equipment, and diagnostic technologies. In the first half of 2026, China approved 38 innovative drugs, highlighting its commitment to advancing healthcare solutions.
Traditional Chinese medicine remains a vital component of China’s healthcare system. The country is modernizing and fostering international cooperation through initiatives such as overseas medical teams, traditional medicine centers, and public health campaigns, including those aimed at combating infectious diseases.
China’s broader goal is to establish a healthcare system that aligns with its modernization ambitions by 2035. As the nation grapples with an aging population and increasingly diverse healthcare needs, the government remains focused on enhancing service quality, affordability, and access across the country. Average life expectancy in China increased to 79.25 years by 2025, reflecting progress in controlling major infectious and endemic diseases and a decline in premature mortality from major chronic diseases to 13.8 percent.