National Health Commission

The National Health Commission (NHC) is a cabinet-level executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China which is responsible for formulating national health policies.[2] It was formed on 19 March 2018. The ministry is headquartered in Beijing. The commission is led by a Minister of cabinet rank in the state council. Ma Xiaowei is the current Minister in charge of the Commission and Party Branch Secretary. Its predecessor was the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国国家卫生健康委员会
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guójiā Wèishēng Jiànkāng Wěiyuánhuì

Headquarters
Agency overview
Formed19 March 2018; 6 years ago (2018-03-19)
Preceding agency
TypeConstituent Department of the State Council (cabinet-level executive department)
JurisdictionGovernment of China
HeadquartersBeijing
Minister responsible
Parent agencyState Council
Websiteen.nhc.gov.cn Edit this at Wikidata

History

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Throughout most of PRC's rule since 1954, the national health portfolio has been the responsibility of the Ministry of Health; superseded in 2013 by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

In March 2018, the Government of the People's Republic of China announced that the National Health and Family Planning Commission was dissolved and that its functions were integrated into the new agency, the National Health Commission.

China is a member of the World Health Organization.[3] Minister Ma reported in the 92nd World Health Assembly, since 1978, China has been focused on improving primary healthcare, develop universal safety net for residents and improving the quality, efficiency and access to primary health care.[3]

The Commission has a role in providing foreign aid through its coordination of China's overseas medical teams.[4]: 73 

2020 coronavirus epidemic

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The commission is the lead agency in mainland China coordinating the national efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic[5]

On 11 February 2020, in order to manage the ongoing health crisis, the following changes were announced[6] by the NHC :

  • Zhang Jin, chief of the Hubei health commission, was replaced by Wang Hesheng, the deputy director of China National Health Commission.
  • Liu Yingzi, director of the Hubei health commission, was replaced by Wang Hesheng.

In December 2022, a week after the NHC said it would no longer release official death tolls from Covid, the NHC said that "China has always been publishing information on Covid-19 deaths and severe cases in the spirit of openness and transparency."[7]

Subordinate agencies

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The following agencies directly report to the commission.

Sub-ministry-level executive agencies of the State Council administered by the NHC
Institutions directly under the NHC
Hospitals directly under the NHC

List of ministers

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Ministers of National Health
No. Name Took office Left office
1 Li Dequan October 1949 January 1965
2 Qian Xinzhong January 1965 June 1968
3 Qiu Guoguang June 1968 June 1970
4 Chen Renhong June 1970 July 1973
5 Liu Xiangping July 1973 October 1976
vacant
6 Jiang Yizhen November 1977 April 1979
(2) Qian Xinzhong April 1979 May 1982
7 Cui Yueli May 1982 March 1987
8 Chen Minzhang March 1987 March 1998
9 Zhang Wenkang March 1998 April 2003
10 Wu Yi April 2003 April 2005
11 Gao Qiang April 2005 June 2007
12 Chen Zhu June 2007 16 March 2013
Ministers in charge of the National Health and Family Planning Commission
No. Name Took office Left office
1 Li Bin 16 March 2013 March 2018
Ministers in charge of the National Health Commission
No. Name Took office Left office Notes
1 Ma Xiaowei 19 March 2018 6 May 2024
2 Lei Haichao 28 June 2024 incumbent

References

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  1. ^ 雷海潮已任国家卫健委党组书记. qq.com (in Chinese). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ^ 国家卫生健康委员会正式“挂牌”. ifeng (in Chinese). 27 March 2018. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b "China shares experiences in primary health care at 72nd World Health Assembly - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  4. ^ Chen, Muyang (2024). The Latecomer's Rise: Policy Banks and the Globalization of China's Development Finance. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781501775857.
  5. ^ "'Grave situation' as coronavirus claims another life". www.9news.com.au. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  6. ^ Kuo, Lily (11 February 2020), "China fires two senior Hubei officials over coronavirus outbreak", The Guardian
  7. ^ AFP (30 December 2022). "China insists official Covid-19 data on deaths is transparent". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
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