Premier Wen's gov't report sets healthcare goals for 2010

Last year, China unveiled a blueprint for health-care over the coming decade. It launched much-anticipated reforms, aimed at improving the medical system and ensuring fair and affordable health services for the whole population.

In this year's government work report, Premier Wen re-emphasizes the importance of medical care reform and lays out the goals for 2010.

In China, soaring fees make medical services less affordable for ordinary citizens. After three years of debate and revision, the Guidelines on Deepening the Reform of the Health-care System were issued in 2009. The core principle is to provide basic health care as a "public service".

According to the government work report, the central government last year spent 127.7 billion yuan on medical and healthcare systems, an increase of 49.5 percent. In the report, Premier Wen points out five key tasks for 2010: expanding basic medical care, improving disease prevention, reform of public hospitals, non-government financing of medical institutions, and the promotion and development of traditional Chinese medicine.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said, "Reform and development of the pharmaceutical and healthcare fields affects the health of the people and the happiness of their families. Therefore, we must overcome all difficulties to solve this universal problem."