On the morning of October 24, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee held a press briefing to introduce and interpret the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

From October 20 to 23, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was held in Beijing. Convened at a pivotal moment—when China is about to accomplish the major goals of the 14th Five-Year Plan and enter a crucial stage of laying a solid foundation for basically achieving socialist modernization—the session reviewed and adopted theRecommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.

At the October 24 press briefing, Lei Haichao, Party Secretary and Director of the National Health Commission, gave an overview of the key tasks related to health and population development for the “15th Five-Year Plan” period.

Lei noted that since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, China has made significant progress in health and population development, building the world’s largest medical service system, disease control system, and medical security system. Life expectancy has continued to improve, reaching 79 years by the end of 2024. However, gaps and inadequacies remain, and people have new expectations for a better, healthier life. To address this, the Recommendations further outline major plans and arrangements for health and population development over the next five years.

Key Priorities for Advancing Healthy China

1. Implementing the Health-First Strategy

The guidelines emphasize “health in all policies” and “shared participation and benefits.” The Recommendations call for establishing a sound policy and institutional system for health promotion, strengthening patriotic health campaigns, and improving life expectancy and overall health levels. This requires prioritizing health in planning, public investment, governance, and performance evaluation over the next five years.

2. Balancing Development and Security to Support Economic and Social Progress

The Recommendationscall for strengthening public health capacity, preventing major infectious diseases, and improving chronic disease prevention and control. Emergency and acute care capacity, blood supply, and mental health services will be enhanced.

3. Ensuring Fair, Accessible, and High-Quality Health Services

Key measures include improving the coordinated development of medical care, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals; promoting tiered diagnosis and treatment; advancing provincial-level pooling of basic medical insurance; improving drug procurement and medical insurance payment policies; and deepening reforms in public hospitals—particularly in staffing, service pricing, compensation mechanisms, and comprehensive regulation. China will also optimize medical service layouts, strengthen primary healthcare, support innovation in traditional Chinese medicine, and promote the development of innovative drugs and medical devices.

Promoting High-Quality Population Development

1. Building a Childbearing-Friendly Society

The Recommendationsadvocate positive views on marriage and childbirth, improve support and incentive policies, enhance childcare subsidies and tax deductions, expand affordable daycare services, and integrate childcare and early education. China will reduce the cost of childbirth, parenting, and education; improve maternity insurance and leave policies; and strengthen maternal and child health services.

2. Ensuring Elderly Care

Measures include improving the coordinated development of elderly care services and industries, expanding basic elderly care supply, developing integrated medical and eldercare services, promoting long-term care insurance, and strengthening care systems for seniors with disabilities or dementia.

3. Enabling Active Aging

China will steadily implement a gradual increase in the statutory retirement age, adjust employment and social security policies to remove age-related barriers, better develop the human resources of older adults, and expand the silver economy.

Lei emphasized that health and population services must prioritize key groups—such as the elderly, women, and children—while also providing comprehensive services for the entire population across prevention, health management, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, thereby ensuring a solid health and population foundation for Chinese modernization.

New Research: Expected Improvement in Life Expectancy

Lei introduced new research findings regarding health planning for the next five years. Based on global trends, current progress, and national capacity, China aims to raise average life expectancy from 79 years in 2024 to about 80 years by 2030. To achieve this goal, efforts will focus on:

1. Shifting Toward Health-Centered Services

China will strengthen health promotion, advance Healthy China initiatives, expand family doctor services, and improve health literacy. Efforts will prioritize preventing risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes so people can enjoy healthier, higher-quality lives.

2. Strengthening Integrated, Whole-Chain Services

Focusing on major chronic diseases—including cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes—China will improve services across screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term management. The emphasis will be on precise prevention, multidisciplinary collaboration, continuous rehabilitation services, and long-term follow-up. Service processes in hospitals will be restructured to ensure efficient referrals and specialist collaboration.

3. Enhancing Equity and Public Welfare in the Health System

China will deepen reforms to promote the coordinated development of medical services, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals, guided by public welfare. The country will fully promote the Fujian Sanming medical reform model—known for strong CPC leadership, prioritizing public welfare, tackling difficult issues, adapting reforms to local conditions, and ensuring sustainability.

China will also strengthen the functional roles of primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare institutions; stabilize the operation of secondary hospitals; and implement the Medical Strengthening at the Primary Level Initiative. Measures such as mobile medical services, telemedicine, and rotating specialist services will ensure convenient, high-quality care close to home and advance tiered diagnosis and treatment.