China has made significant progress toward universal healthcare coverage, offering valuable lessons in strategic procurement, payment reforms and the application of artificial intelligence, experts and officials said on Wednesday, as affordable healthcare remains out of reach for billions worldwide.
Martin Taylor, World Health Organization representative to China, said 2.1 billion people, or about one-quarter of the world's population, faced financial hardship due to out-of-pocket healthcare expenses in 2022.
In the WHO's Western Pacific region, only 18 percent of people with hypertension have their condition under control, while about 41 percent of those with diabetes receive treatment, he said at the opening ceremony of the China-ASEAN Healthcare Security Capacity Sharing Program in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
Taylor noted that China's basic medical insurance program covers over 1.3 billion people, or more than 95 percent of the population.
China's reforms in procuring medicines and medical consumables, along with its experience in building a multilayered health insurance system and developing digital services, offer valuable lessons for other countries, he said, adding that ASEAN members also have innovations worth sharing.
He stressed the importance of strengthening primary healthcare through strategic purchasing, particularly by ensuring affordable access to medicines for people with noncommunicable diseases. Payment mechanisms should reward service quality, continuity of care and disease prevention to help prevent complications and costly hospitalizations.
Flexible workers, rural residents and people requiring long-term care also deserve particular attention because of their greater financial vulnerability, he said.
Taylor highlighted the role of digital technologies in improving healthcare governance and efficiency. Big data can help identify unusual medical insurance reimbursement patterns and strengthen oversight, while cloud platforms and AI-assisted medical imaging can improve diagnostic accuracy. Digital bill settlement can also streamline reimbursement and payments.
Abdi Kurniawan Purba, director of health service benefits at BPJS Kesehatan, Indonesia's national health insurance administration body, said achieving universal healthcare requires more than expanding coverage. Continuous reforms are needed to improve service quality and financial mechanisms.
He stressed the importance of using digital technologies to expand healthcare access and strengthen governance, alongside effective data protection, accountability and supervision.
Zhang Ke, director of China's National Healthcare Security Administration, said measures including dynamic adjustments to the medical insurance drug catalog, centralized procurement, payment reforms and wider application of information technology have improved the equity, accessibility and sustainability of China's medical insurance system.
Responding to ASEAN representatives' questions about China's bulk drug procurement program, Zhang attributed its success to large procurement volumes, real-world studies assessing generic drugs' efficacy, a diverse pool of manufacturers and a robust drug traceability system.
China is willing to connect ASEAN countries in need with its extensive supply network and help quality Chinese medical products reach more people, subject to necessary market registration, packaging adjustments and other preparations, he said.
He also called for closer exchanges through training, joint research and personnel cooperation, alongside continued implementation of projects such as the China-ASEAN Regional Medical Products Trading (Volume-Based Procurement) Platform.
