China.org.cn | September 16, 2022
Chen Wenjun:
Thank you, Mr. Li. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the news outlet you represent before raising your questions.
CCTV:
The Healthy China initiative, as a national strategy, is closely related to enabling people to feel more satisfied, happy and secure. The Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 has declared that China will become a powerful country in terms of health by 2035. How has the work progressed to advance the Healthy China initiative? What progress has been made in achieving phased goals? What benefits have people enjoyed during the process? Thank you.
Li Bin:
I'll answer your questions. The Healthy China initiative has received a lot of attention. We have advanced the relevant work from the following aspects.
The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance and given top priority to improving people's health, making the major policy decision to carry out the Healthy China initiative and committed to making China a powerful country in terms of health by 2035.
We have thoughtfully implemented the policy decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and worked with other related departments in adopting multiple measures and focusing on their implementation. The primary goals of the Healthy China initiative in 2022 were achieved ahead of schedule, and efforts to build a Healthy China are now off to a good start and advancing smoothly.
First, a health-conscious approach has been promoted in all policy decisions, establishing a framework that integrates health considerations into policymaking. We established a committee to advance the Healthy China initiative and an expert advisory committee. We have explored the establishment of a health impact assessment mechanism and formed a work pattern featuring coordination among various departments and at the provincial, city and county levels.
Second, we have focused on popularizing health knowledge to more families and built two pools and one mechanism step by step to comprehensively spread health science. Two pools include an expert pool and a resource pool for health science popularization at the national level, and the mechanism is tasked with publicizing and spreading health knowledge by all media.
Third, we have attached importance to the full life cycle and greatly improved our capacity to protect health. The average basic public health service subsidy has been raised to 84 yuan per person. We have provided health management services for patients with hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, and other priority diseases, and for target groups such as kids aged 0-6, pregnant women, and seniors aged over 65. Solid progress has been made in comprehensively preventing and controlling myopia among kids and teenagers, and gradual improvement has been seen in students' physical health. Serious diseases have been effectively prevented, and the premature mortality due to major chronic diseases is lower than the average global level.
Fourth, people's life has become healthier, and the environment where we work and live has continued to be better. Healthy living has become a new fashion, and 25.4% of residents have had basic health awareness. The area of sports venues has been increasing, and 37.2% of residents have been taking part in regular exercise. The living environment in urban areas has improved notably, and the proportion of days with good air quality in a year has continued to increase. The sanitary conditions in rural areas have taken on a brand-new look, and tap water and sanitary toilets have become more accessible to rural residents.
Fifth, all people across the country have been encouraged to be involved in the Healthy China initiative, and we have seen an increasingly denser atmosphere of people making fitness activities part of their life. The initiative has strategically themed on achieving health for all with joint contribution and shared benefits, advocated that "everyone is the first person responsible for his/her health," helping form a sound social environment where all are pursuing and maintaining their health. Thank you.