President Xi Jinping has called on all official authorities to consider public health while drafting policies. Xi's remark came as he spoke for the very first time about the proposed Healthy China Strategy at a top level meeting of the Communist Party, China Daily reported.  

The goal of "an all-around moderately prosperous society cannot be achieved without the people's all-around health," President Xi said at the meeting. The meeting was also attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

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Both leaders expressed several of their personal concerns about healthcare in the country, and also offered constructive steps that need to be taken to overcome them.

President Xi urged authorities to make a collective effort to encourage healthy lifestyles, consolidate medical services and disease prevention, and strengthen health-related industries. "If these issues are not addressed effectively, the people's health may be seriously undermined," he said.     

President Xi and other officials at the meeting reached a consensus that the government authorities cannot ensure a healthy populace alone, as many complex socio-economic factors determine the country's health.

Premier Li suggested that abundant healthcare resources must be allocated to rural and economically-backward regions, with a greater focus on providing insurance to offset the effect of increasing medical expense on patients.

President Xi also called for framing innovative strategies to promote a healthy lifestyle at the grassroots level, adding that health policies must be drafted that are suitable to local conditions.

Over the years, China has been on overdrive to improve public health. One of the government's recent initiatives is focused on increasing the number of doctors across the country. The aim is to give every Chinese citizen access to a doctor by 2020.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that lower penetration of doctors had lead to overcrowded hospitals across China.  

Despite its impressive economic development over the past two decades, China is still faced with major healthcare issues. The most critical issue being the absence of robust healthcare infrastructure in rural parts of China.

TagsXi Jinping, china, Healthcare System in China, Health China