By Zhang Laiming, Development Research Center of the State Council

The State Council issued Guidelines on Accelerating Development of the Old-age Care Service Industry in September 2013, proposing that by 2020, China will complete building an old-age care system with improved functions and a proper and overall coverage in urban and rural areas and that old-age care products should be enriched, the market mechanism in the industry should be improved, and the old-age care industry should secure continued and sound development. First, the significance of developing the health care service industry should be viewed from the perspective of realizing the goal of an overall well-off society. When the people’s basic needs for daily necessities are satisfied such as clothing, food, housing and transportation, health has and will become a crucial pursuit for a better livelihood and higher life quality. Besides, as the economy keeps developing to a higher level and the materials enjoyed by the public are enriched, people’s demand for health care will definitely become strong. To promote the building of a healthy China, and the improvement of people’s health and well-being and their health needs, we should develop both the social undertakings and the industry for health care; we should not only improve institutional arrangements but also reinforce the technological basis for ensuring and promoting health; we should allow the government to make its due efforts and enable the market to shore up government’s endeavour. It is a necessary path to develop the health care industry in order to promote the building of a healthy China and an overall well-off society. Second, developing the health care industry is a critical part of promoting economic restructuring and the supply-side structural reform. China’s health industry is now standing at a key stage in development. With China’s economic development entering the state of the new normal and the traditional economic drivers experiencing waxing and waning in the transitional period, the health care industry features a wide coverage and a long industrial chain, which makes it directly affect numerous other industries in the economy. Developing the health industry is also necessary for coping with the issue of China’s population aging, which is a major problem that may influence the economic and social development for a long term in the future. As a positive response to population aging, it is therefore a practical and urgent requirement to promote the health industry development and meet the elders’ demand for products and services. And third, China’s health industry enjoys huge potential for future development. Now the health industry presents a booming and sound development momentum. We should be fully aware of the above-mentioned fact, make sound strategic planning, improve related institutional arrangements and policy measures, draw on international experience to build a bigger and stronger health care industry, promote the building of a healthy China and continue to enhance health benefits to the people.