LSIPR 50 2017: Xi Jinping
Name: Xi Jinping
Organisation: Chinese government
Position: President
China’s healthcare reform roadmap, “The National Planning Guideline for the Healthcare Service System (2015–2020)”, is the first comprehensive
five-year blueprint targeting keys areas for development by 2020, according to law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.
The plan includes focusing on infrastructure development in the country, reducing costs and giving broader insurance coverage, and establishing new areas of investment.
"the guideline also aims to tighten the procurement of medical devices."
According to the law firm, the guideline set out a plan which includes increasing the number of hospital beds by 2020.
In addition, it outlines that a new training system will be established to “improve the quality of training” for medical professionals and aims to increase the number of nurses and support staff.
To reduce patients’ medical costs, the guideline also aims to tighten the procurement of medical devices to public hospitals.
The healthcare reform will also embrace new technologies and by 2020 will have three digital national databases which will contain health profiles, information and medical records.
In May last year, President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials pledged a “greater” commitment to research in science and technology.
According to a release by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a national academy dedicated to the study of natural sciences, the announcement was a “show of unprecedented importance” and Xi and Premier Li Keqiang addressed an event that combined three “top-level” science conferences.
Xi stressed the role of science and technology as a bedrock that “the country relies on for its power, enterprises rely on for victories, and people rely on for a better life,”
according to China’s official press agency, Xinhua.
Li told attendees that China’s overall research and development input will keep rising and account for 2.5% of its gross domestic product in 2020, up from the current 2.1%.
