China looks to healthy development
Smoking less but better
China’s President Xi Jinping has urged authorities at all levels to consider public health when drafting policies, according to a story by Shan Juan for the China Daily.
Speaking for the first time on the proposed Healthy China strategy, Xi called for comprehensive efforts to promote healthy lifestyles, strengthen medical services and disease prevention, and develop health-related industries.
Risks resulting from China’s industrialization, urbanization and aging population, combined with the negative changes in the environment and people’s lifestyles, posed serious health challenges, he said in addressing the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China.
“If these issues are not addressed effectively, the people’s health may be seriously undermined, and economic development and social stability will be compromised,” he said.
The Healthy China strategy was first proposed early last year, but the authorities are said to be still discussing the fine details.
Wang Longde, chairman of China Preventive Medicine Association, said the CPC meeting ushered in a new era in which public health would be given priority in the national development strategy.
Despite achievements such as longer life expectancy and universal health insurance, he said new challenges had emerged from rapid aging and the rise in chronic diseases.
Among China’s initiatives to boost public health is a system of family doctors being rolled out nationwide. These doctors will advise communities on healthy living and disease prevention, with the aim of covering all citizens by 2020.
Liang Xiaofeng, deputy director the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, welcomed the initiative, saying: “The doctors serve as a bridge. They empower people to be aware of, and capable of, staying fit.”
Other agencies, such as those responsible for education, urban planning and food and drug safety, should also work together to create healthy environments for people, such as by guaranteeing them a smoke-free environment, clear air and more playgrounds for physical exercise, he added.