On September 14, the State Council Information Office held a series of thematic press conferences under the theme "Getting Off to a Strong Start for the 15th Five-Year Plan," providing updates on the decisive progress made in advancing the Healthy China initiative and answering questions from journalists. A journalist asked: "The 15th Five-Year Plan includes numerous health-related indicators, which represent significant changes compared to the 14th Five-Year Plan. For example, the number of licensed physicians per 1,000 people has increased from 3.1 to 3.7, and the number of registered nurses has risen from 4.3 to 5.1. What was the rationale behind these changes in these indicators?" Lei Haichao, Director of the National Health Commission, stated that over the years of development, the healthcare workforce has made significant progress; by 2025, the total number of healthcare professionals nationwide had reached 16.12 million – a substantial increase compared to the 11.17 million recorded a decade earlier. "According to our calculations, this represents a growth rate of 44%." "Even so, we can still observe that the imbalance between supply and demand in healthcare services remains quite pronounced in certain regions and hospitals," he said. He noted that, particularly as China's economy continues to grow and per capita income levels keep rising, the public's health awareness has also increased, leading them to pay greater attention to their own well-being-and consequently, they are seeking medical care more frequently. While expanding its coverage, medical insurance has also strengthened its payment capacity – all of these factors have contributed to the growing demand for healthcare services. He noted that there are new demographic shifts: in addition to an aging population, there is also a trend toward declining birth rates. People are increasingly concerned about their children's growth and place greater emphasis on their physical and mental well-being; as a result, it has become increasingly common for parents to turn to professional institutions or consult doctors when facing any concerns.
