China to further reform medical, healthcare systems, enhance public medical services: official

China will ensure and improve the people's wellbeing in the course of further deepening reform of the medicine and healthcare systems, said a senior official with the National Health Commission.

Ensuring the people's health should be a strategic priority, according to a resolution adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in Beijing on July 15-18.

At an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Lei Haichao, director of National Health Commission, emphasized that the primary task of deepening the reform of the medicine and healthcare systems is to anchor the goals of the Healthy China initiative by 2035. This involves establishing and improving the planning, investment, and governance policies and regulatory systems for prioritizing health development and promoting the integration of health into all policies.

By 2035, a medical and health service system that is in line with the efforts to basically realize socialist modernization and is complete, efficient, and resilient should be set up. Equal access, accessibility, and service capabilities will markedly strengthen, and the people's health will significantly improve, the initiative required.

"We are now facing the threat of both communicable and chronic non-communicable diseases, so we call for early diagnosis and treatment and seek to attract more social institutions and individuals to participate in patriotic health campaigns and health promotion," Lei said.

Nowadays, China has built the world's largest healthcare system. However, the unbalanced and inadequate development of the healthcare system still needs to be addressed through reforms.

China has a three-tier system to grade hospitals, with tertiary hospitals - which have the largest number of beds and provide comprehensive medical services - at the top of the system.

For the majority of people, public hospitals remain the first choice for medical treatment. The quality of service of public hospitals is directly related to the health of the people.

The resolution said that China will continue to expand the availability of quality medical resources, channel them toward the community level, and make sure they were better distributed among regions. The country will move faster to develop the tiered diagnosis and treatment system and propel the development of tightly knit medical consortia.

"It is necessary to further address some of the imbalances and inadequacies in health development, resolve the emerging needs and changes in medical treatment and health care, and better support the balanced development of health in the central and western regions. We are working to enhance the overall capacity of the healthcare system in a comprehensive manner. Our plan is to have higher-level healthcare institutions assist lower-level ones. Additionally, we are promoting the construction of healthcare groups and integrated healthcare systems to improve the continuity of medical services," Lei said.

China to further reform medical, healthcare systems, enhance public medical services: official

Savory mooncakes are becoming a new trend for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival within Singapore's Chinese community this year, prompting local bakeries and restaurants to experiment with innovative fillings such as meat, crayfish, salted egg yolk, and more.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the Ngee Ann City complex is hosting a mooncake fair, attracting local and international bakeries and restaurants to offer a variety of options for residents.

While traditional flavors like lotus seed paste and crushed nuts remain popular, savory mooncakes -- particularly those with meat fillings -- have emerged as the hit this year.

"We started with Shanghai savory meat mooncakes and later experimented with crayfish, salted egg yolk, and our special recipe, crab meat mince mooncakes. We did not expect that, after launching them on the market, Singaporean customers would go from initially being surprised and shocked to fully accepting them. Now, they even place orders with us in advance," said Wang Yanqing, who initiated the creation of the new type of mooncake at a local restaurant..

The restaurant reports that more than 70,000 mooncakes were sold in just one month. The savory mooncakes have received many compliments and have quickly become a new local favorite.

"This is the first time I’ve tried a meat mooncake. Let me put it that way: it’s savory. It is a brand-new type of mooncake for us. It tastes very special, very innovative," said Fang Xiaolin, a Singaporean customer.

"Actually, it was the first time trying the savory mooncakes. I think it's so innovative and interesting because it's just very different from the usual mooncakes that we have in the market, so it tastes really savory and fresh, and I think a lot of Singaporeans will like it," said Fu Lina, another Singaporean customer.

In addition to enjoying a variety of mooncakes, Singaporean Chinese celebrate the festival with lantern shows, similar to traditional Chinese customs. The annual Mid-Autumn lantern show lights up Niu Che Shui Chinatown every night, attracting both locals and visitors.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has long been a cultural cornerstone for Chinese communities around the world.

Savory mooncakes gain popularity as Singapore celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival