A set of numbers, such as 52.6% and 15 minutes, were listed by Lei Haichao, head of China's National Health Commission (NHC), when elaborating on the country's development in its health and medical care services during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) at a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual session of the top legislature on Saturday.

52.6%

In 2025, the proportion of medical visits to primary-level medical and health institutions in China accounted for 52.6% of total national medical visits, Lei said, noting that these institutions had achieved increases in both the number of patient visits and their share of total national healthcare services.

15 minutes

More than 90% of urban and rural families can now reach their nearest medical institution within 15 minutes, Lei said.

Through continuous efforts, China has established 1.1 million medical institutions with over 16 million health workers. The number of practicing (assistant) physicians has reached 5.29 million and the number of registered nurses has exceeded 6.03 million.

10,800 yuan ($1,566) per child

More than 33 million Chinese families with infants under the age of three have received childcare subsidies, Lei said. 

China has been providing a childcare subsidy of 3,600 yuan per year to each eligible child born after January 1, 2022, until they reach the age of three – totaling 10,800 yuan ($1,566) per child.

The country has also significantly increased its childcare slots and enhanced its capability in childcare services.

79.25 years old

The average life expectancy of Chinese people in 2025 was 79.25 years, which is 1.32 years higher than in 2020, representing an average annual growth of 0.26 years.

Building a Healthy China by 2035

The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a crucial phase for building a Healthy China by 2035, said Lei, who highlighted four priorities during the period.

For the next five years, Lei said China will implement a series of key projects in the health sector to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure and expand the rehabilitation capacity.

The country, with the primary-level medical services covering its 1.4 billion people, will further improve the service capacity, with a focus on pediatrics, mental health, general practice, rehabilitation and nursing, to better meet public demand.

A series of technological approaches, such as mobile medical services, telemedicine and internet-based medical consultations, will be adopted to enhance the fairness and accessibility of medical services.

Lei said China will deepen the reform of the health system. It will plan the construction of around 1,000 closely integrated medical and health consortia at the county level during the next five years, to further enhance the continuity of medical services, especially in prefecture-level cities. By setting up referral and consultation centers in these cities, the goal is to continuously improve the seamless care available for the public.

The third is to strengthen public health security capabilities, especially the capabilities in infectious disease surveillance, early warning, risk assessment, medical treatment, rapid response and testing, to better prevent and control epidemics.

China will also strengthen the emergency medical rescue system to provide timely assistance in natural disasters and public emergencies, as well as the safe supply and security of blood to meet clinical needs.

As the country is committed to building a global community of health for all, Lei said China will support developing countries, especially the Belt and Road partner countries, in improving their health capacity through technical and personnel assistance.

The country will also promote traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) globally and foster the mutual learning among traditional medicines. A new project will be launched to enrich medicinal plant resources and TCM therapies, jointly addressing global public health challenges.