Research in health policy making in China

Health is a basic right of human beings and is the basis of national development and prosperity. To better meet the health needs of its population, the Communist Party and the central government in China started major healthcare reforms.1 The new round of health systems reform, which began in 2009 with the goal of assuring affordable universal basic healthcare for all Chinese citizens, has had considerable success, especially in coverage of universal health insurance.2 However, important and long term health related issues still need to be tackled, given new challenges from industrialisation, urbanisation, and
the ageing population, as well as environmental and lifestyle changes.3-6 As a result, the Healthy China 2030 Plan was launched. However, because of these challenges and slowing economic growth, the health policy making needed to be based on scientific evidence.