China's top health agenda — pediatric and mental health

Boosting pediatric and mental health services is high on the agenda of China's top health authority this year. The nation also plans to intensify efforts to enhance grassroots health facilities and disease prevention initiatives.

By the end of 2025, all secondary and tertiary hospitals which represent the higher levels of China's three-tier hospital system will provide pediatric services, said Hu Qiangqiang, spokesman for the National Health Commission, during a news conference last week.

Citing discussions at the commission's annual meeting held in late December, Hu said a campaign to expand pediatric and mental health services will run from this year through 2027.

The campaign aims to ensure that at least 90 percent of primary medical institutions offer pediatric services, he said.

Additionally, the commission mandates that at least one hospital in each city-level region establish psychological and sleep clinics.

A nationwide mental health support hotline, which began operations in select regions on Jan 1, will be expanded. More than 5,000 mental health awareness lectures by senior professionals are also planned nationwide.

Hu added that by the end of this year, the number of nursery care slots for babies aged three and under per 1,000 people will reach 4.5. Furthermore, 660,000 more affordable nursery care slots will be added.

According to a Dec 31 statement from the commission, greater resources will be allocated to developing grassroots medical services and strengthening disease prevention efforts this year.

"Medical partnerships, such as those between larger and smaller hospitals or between county hospitals and rural clinics — will be reinforced," the statement said.

"The dispatch of mobile medical teams to counties with limited capacity will become routine and cover all areas in need."

In a signed article released on Jan 2, Health Minister Lei Haichao emphasized that the key to ensuring effective partnerships is deploying personnel to the grassroots level and making quality medical services accessible.

Prominent public concerns, such as medicine shortages at primary medical facilities and the lack of recognition of examination results across institutions, should be resolved, he said.

During its annual meeting, the commission also called for greater efforts to spread health knowledge about chronic diseases and to promote early screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Lei highlighted that in a rapidly aging society, chronic illnesses are becoming increasingly prevalent, with high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer posing the most significant threats.

"It is crucial to ensure early-stage screening, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic illnesses, strengthen grassroots services, and emphasize the role of general practitioners in managing chronic conditions," he said.