For 86-year-old Dai Guoguo, managing diabetes alongside heart disease and a history of strokes used to be an exhausting nightly battle. He told China Media Group (CMG) that he previously had to inject insulin at 9:30 every night, only to wake up around two or three in the morning, covered in sweat from severe hypoglycemia.
The situation changed after his home was connected to a digital healthcare platform linked to medical institutions in Luzhou, Sichuan Province, southwestern China. By uploading daily glucose readings to this platform, doctors were able to monitor his condition in real-time and remotely adjust dosages. Dai noted that his condition has now stabilized.
Dai's experience reflects a broader shift in China's healthcare system towards proactive, community-based care. This patient-centric approach is particularly relevant on August 19th, when the country celebrates Chinese Doctors' Day—a holiday dedicated to healthcare workers who strengthen primary care at home and support medical missions abroad.
Overcoming Gaps Through Integrated Care
According to the National Health Commission, China has established a network of primary healthcare facilities, including over 1.04 million local health institutions. More than 90% of China's residents can now reach a medical facility within a 15-minute walk. Primary care centers handle more than half of the total outpatient volume in the country, serving key population groups over 1 billion times annually.
To help patients manage chronic diseases closer to home, primary care centers have equipped over 370,000 home beds and issued 190 million long-term prescriptions last year. This allows people with stable chronic conditions to receive medication for up to 12 weeks in a single visit, according to the NHC. Jiaoyahui, an official spokesperson for the NHC, stated that they follow a policy guaranteeing the linkage of prescription protocols directly to patient needs, ensuring continuous medication supply both locally and during transfers from large hospitals. Furthermore, AI-supported diagnostic tools are being implemented at the grassroots level.
As part of these service improvements, China has also worked to enhance the accessibility of pediatric care to alleviate parental concerns about overcrowded tertiary hospitals. Today, over 90% of district health centers and public medical stations can provide pediatric services. Meanwhile, over 3,000 medical institutions across the country have been transformed into 'child-friendly hospitals,' equipped with child-themed waiting areas, optimized 'one-stop' appointment systems, and family-oriented wards, making doctor visits less frightening for children and more convenient for parents.
To further improve chronic disease management, local hospitals in regions such as Fujian Province have introduced an integrated 'three-party team' care model for diabetes treatment, combining an endocrinologist, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) specialist, and a health manager. Dr. Wu Chunli, Director of the TCM Department at Peking University Medical School, told CMG that while Western medicine effectively regulates blood sugar levels, TCM offers unique advantages in treating chronic complications through personalized wellness.
To expand this level of care, leading medical centers are directly linking their resources with district clinics. Xu Yong from the Southwest Medical University Affiliated Hospital explained that combining specialists with community doctors allows healthcare workers to provide proactive recommendations on nutrition, exercise, and mental health, helping residents prevent minor ailments from escalating into serious complications.
Frontline doctors are also adapting to urgent local needs. In a rural health center in Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, physician Jian Peng transitioned from general surgery to pain management after noticing the widespread prevalence of joint diseases among rural residents. Using ultrasound guidance techniques, he now provides targeted and accessible treatment that accelerates recovery.
In tertiary care, Dr. Yang Chao, a senior orthopedist at the Union Hospital affiliated with Huazhong University of Science and Technology Medical College, established a specialized scoliosis correction center. He successfully operated on a rural patient with severe spinal curvature of 150 degrees, helping her gain 14 centimeters in height. Yang often reminds junior staff: 'Every innovation stems from genuine clinical problems and must ultimately serve the patient.'
Expanding Aid Beyond National Borders
China's medical presence extends far beyond its borders. As the only country that consistently provides large-scale free medical teams to developing nations in the long term, China has dispatched over 30,000 medical workers to 77 countries and regions since 1963. These teams have provided aid to over 300 million patients and trained more than 100,000 local healthcare workers, contributing to sustainable local capacity.
Since 2012, China has expanded these medical missions to nine additional island nations in the South Pacific and the Caribbean. Through hospital partnerships, Chinese doctors have introduced hundreds of new clinical methods and provided free medical care to over 10,000 patients suffering from cataracts, heart disease, and cleft lip or palate.
Chinese specialists also respond to international public health emergencies. Following medical missions during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 and subsequent efforts in Angola, Madagascar, and Uganda, China sent its third anti-Ebola medical expert team to the Democratic Republic of Congo in early August.
This mission includes experienced emergency specialists, such as Dr. Liu Shuhua, Chief Burn Specialist at Wuhan Third Hospital with over 30 years of clinical experience. In 2025, Liu was deployed to Bangladesh following an aviation accident, where her team treated 22 severely injured patients and performed 11 complex surgeries over eight days. By joining medical teams both at home and abroad, such doctors continue to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, clinical treatment, and local public health safety.