China to apply AI-assisted technologies to enhance grassroots medical services: health official

China plans to harness cutting-edge technologies, including rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI), to improve grassroots healthcare services, a health official announced during a press conference on Sunday focused on people's livelihood.

Lei Haichao, chief of the National Health Commission (NHC), highlighted accomplishments and detailed upcoming initiatives to enhance grassroots healthcare infrastructure and services during the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's national legislature. "After these years of development, China's capacity and level of grassroots medical and health services have significantly improved. Our country's medical and health system is quite sound. Currently, there are more than 600,000 primary-level medical and health institutions in townships, communities, and villages, with over 5 million grassroots medics providing daily preventive care, rehabilitation, and medical services to the public," Lei said.

To address the demand for accessible medical care, the NHC expanded medical insurance reimbursement to include village clinics last year. This initiative, according to Lei, has already delivered encouraging outcomes, fostering confidence in the present and future of grassroots healthcare services.

"Our statistics show that over 90 percent of village health stations have already entered the designated service range for medical insurance, which greatly facilitates the public in seeking medical treatment and managing expenses. Additionally, as a move to provide central financial support for local health development, the Ministry of Finance has invested nearly 900 million yuan (1.24 million U.S. dollars) in the past two years to upgrade medical equipment in township hospitals, primarily targeting the central and western regions," he said.

Going forward, China will expedite the development of closely integrated medical and health consortia at the county level, with the intent of enhancing grassroots medical services.

The medical consortia program aims to establish a triage system that is led by county-level hospitals and improve the capacity of medical and health institutions at the township and village levels. The end goal is to ensure that common diseases are treated at the city or county level while routine health concerns are managed at the grassroots level.

China aims to complete the establishment of these medical consortia at the county level by the end of 2027.

"We will also further strengthen the capacity of information technology at the grassroots level. We will apply a large number of innovative artificial intelligence-assisted technologies to improve the primary-level service capabilities and levels. Meanwhile, we will further urge and guide local governments to further update equipment and facilities configured by grassroots medical and health institutions, and optimize the conditions for medical treatment and diagnosis," said Lei.

In this year's government work report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang on March 5, China will raise its per capita government subsidies for basic public health services by 5 yuan to 99 yuan (about 13.6 U.S. dollars), representing an increase of 7 billion yuan for the 1.41 billion population. The additional funds will go towards supporting local governments to enhance public health services.

China to apply AI-assisted technologies to enhance grassroots medical services: health official

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival