China is significantly enhancing its healthcare access through the Healthy China Initiative, a sweeping effort to expand affordable medical services across the nation. Under the direction of President Xi Jinping, the initiative prioritizes rural healthcare facilities, wider health insurance coverage, and the availability of quality medical services for the country’s 1.4 billion citizens.
In line with these goals, Xi Jinping has advocated for increased medical resources at the community level, ensuring both urban and rural populations receive essential healthcare services. This directive was emphasized during his visit to a township clinic in Jiangsu province in December 2014, where he underscored the need for improved local medical infrastructure to ease treatment access.
The initiative has introduced reforms in hospital management, medical insurance, medicine supplies, healthcare supervision, and tiered medical services. These reforms are designed to localize the treatment of various illnesses: serious conditions within provinces, common illnesses within cities or counties, and routine health issues at local facilities.
China has developed 125 national regional medical centers, particularly in central and western regions where advanced medical resources are less prevalent. Currently, more than 90 percent of residents have access to medical services within a 15-minute radius, with primary-level institutions handling over half of medical visits nationwide.
Preventive healthcare is another focus of the initiative, especially concerning children and the elderly. Efforts to reduce childhood myopia have successfully lowered the student myopia rate over five consecutive years, achieving a 49.9 percent rate in 2025. This marks a 3.7 percentage point decrease from 2018. Additionally, the average life expectancy in China rose to 79.25 years by 2025, with notable progress in controlling major infectious and endemic diseases and reducing premature mortality from chronic illnesses to 13.8 percent.
Advancements in medical technology and pharmaceutical innovation are critical to China’s healthcare strategy. The government is actively promoting digital healthcare, artificial intelligence, and the development of domestic medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic technologies. In the first half of 2026, China approved 38 innovative drugs.
Traditional Chinese medicine remains integral to the healthcare system, with ongoing efforts to modernize and foster international cooperation through overseas medical teams and public health initiatives. As China aims to align its healthcare system with broader modernization goals by 2035, the challenge remains to continually improve service quality, affordability, and access across the country.