Strategic shifts

The central piece of the three documents, the guideline to implement the Healthy China Initiative, proposes 15 campaigns to promote healthy lifestyles and health at various stages of life, and to control major diseases and set health targets.

The campaigns address major public health concerns, such as mental health, student myopia, smoking and major chronic diseases, and offer dietary and fitness advice.

The second document, released by the General Office of the State Council, stipulates that the Healthy China Initiative Promotion Committee, comprised of an advisory body and special action groups, should be set up for pushing forward the initiative and evaluating relevant results. It stresses that major health indicators will serve as yardsticks for measuring the performance of various Party and government organizations and their leaders.

The third document, the Healthy China Action Plan for 2019-2030, details objectives and tasks for each campaign, as well as the responsibilities of various stakeholders including individuals, families, society and the government.

Yu said that in comparison to previous efforts to boost health, these campaigns signal a shift in the focus of health work from treating diseases to promoting health, and a shift from counting mainly on medical institutions to encouraging public participation and action so that people can shoulder responsibility and enjoy the fruits of good health.

In recent decades, China has made great progress in improving people's health, Yu said, adding that in 2018, the average life expectancy in China was improved to 77 years old, and major health indicators were better than the average level of medium- to high-income countries.

However, with the acceleration of industrialization, urbanization and population aging, the disease spectrum of Chinese residents is changing, and people are confronting new health problems, Yu said.

On the one hand, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and occupational and endemic diseases cannot be neglected, and the prevention and control of major infectious diseases such as AIDS is still challenging, he said.

But on the other hand, relatively poor health knowledge and unhealthy lifestyles, which include smoking, alcohol abuse, lack of exercise and an unbalanced diet, have resulted in increasingly salient health problems, especially chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, he pointed out.

Chronic diseases have caused 88 percent of the total deaths in China and incurred more than 70 percent of the total burden of diseases, Yu noted.

Unhealthy lifestyles can be changed and main health risk factors are preventable and controllable, he said. Personal behaviors and lifestyles can affect 60 percent of a person's health, according to the World Health Organization.

The health system is changing its thinking and methods, Yu said. While continuing to deepen medical reform, increasing access to medical treatment and lowering costs, the government will vigorously promote the transformation from "centering on the treatment of diseases" to "centering on people's health."

As the Healthy China Action Plan for 2019-2030 states, the purpose of the actions is to help everyone learn, understand and master information and skills related to disease prevention, early detection, emergency rescue, timely medical treatment, rational drug use and other aspects of health maintenance; enhance health awareness; and constantly improve health management capabilities.

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