Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, visits West China Hospital of Sichuan University for an inspection, August 19, 2024.

On August 19, Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, carried out a dedicated inspection of health work, visited and extended greetings to frontline medical workers, and hosted a work video conference. She emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement the guiding principles from the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, take the health-first strategy, the Healthy China strategy, and the population development strategy as the main guidance on our work, employ solid steps to advance the effective implementation of further reform in the medical and healthcare systems, drive high-quality development in health services through reform, and thus better meet the medical and health needs of the people.

Shi Xiaolin visited the Yulin North Road Community Health Service Center in Wuhou District, Chengdu City, to gain insight into the new model of integrated primary-level medical and health services, the fusion of medical treatment and disease prevention, and other work progress. She also inspected the West China Hospital of Sichuan University to review the development of the medical discipline for high altitude sickness, medical treatment, and other work and extended festive greetings and respect to medical workers in honor of Chinese Doctors' Day.

Subsequently, Shi Xiaolin chaired a video conference at the Provincial Commission of Health, focusing on the discussion and study of reforms and the advancement of the healthcare cause. After listening to expert advice and the work presentations from various departments and municipal (prefectural) authorities, Shi Xiaolin highlighted the need to accelerate the construction of a quality, balanced, and efficient medical service system underpinned by the development of national medical "peaks", western medical "plateaus", and comprehensive medical "highlands". She stressed the necessity to leverage the critical role of top-tier hospitals in leading and driving progress, push the establishment of medical treatment partnerships and medical consortiums, expand the availability of quality medical resources and ensure they are better distributed among regions, and enhance the overall capabilities of county hospitals, ensure the primary-level healthcare services to meet standards, bridge infrastructure gaps in county-level medical institutions and upgrade these institutions' essential equipment. Additionally, she called for beefing up efforts to improve the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, enhance the level of smart medical services, and bolster the capacity for resource allocation to satisfy the health demands of the general population. It is essential to deepen the reform of public hospitals and improve a public hospital operational mechanism that centers on people's health, upholds public welfare, encourages initiative, and ensures sustainability. It is necessary to develop a more targeted and effective prevention strategy, reinforce the disease prevention and control system, and continually improve the capabilities of public medical and health services. It is important to maintain a unified direction in work and focus on benefiting the people, strengthen system integration, policy coordination, information connectivity, and regulatory collaboration, and promote the coordinated development and governance of healthcare, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals. It is crucial to capitalize fully on Sichuan's position as a major province in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), promote the inheritance, innovation, and development of TCM, actively enhance its role in preemptive prevention, health maintenance, and food-medicine homology, and proactively expand the space for the integrated development of agriculture, commerce, culture, tourism, sports, and health sectors. It is crucial to guide our efforts with innovation in medical and pharmaceutical science and technology, develop new quality productive forces in the health sector in line with local conditions, promote synergies between science and health, medicine and education, and medical and engineering disciplines, and cluster the development of the pharmaceutical and health industry through "building circles and strengthening chains". We must actively address the challenges of an aging population and declining birth rates, enhance the support and service system for population development, and ensure the provision of effective services for both the elderly and children. We must reinforce safety measures, ethical conduct, and team development, effectively deliver safety management in pharmaceutical production, medical services, and public medication use, rectify misconduct, foster a new industry ethos, and cultivate a high-caliber medical and health workforce that upholds integrity, maintains cleanliness, and demonstrates professionalism.

Yang Xingping, Vice Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, presided over the conference. Participants in the inspection or the conference included Gan Lin, Secretary of the CPC Sichuan University Committee; Zeng Qing, Secretary-General of the People's Government of Sichuan Province; leading officials from relevant provincial departments and select cities (prefectures); representatives from medical and health institutions, as well as expert delegates, among others.