China's Approach to Integrating Health into Poverty Reduction Offers Insights for Global Development, Lancet Commission Report Finds

BEIJING, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Poverty remains a major global development challenge. China's efforts to bring health into poverty reduction offer insights for countries seeking to protect vulnerable households and advance health equity, according to a Lancet Commission report launched at Tsinghua University on October 29. 

Led by Tsinghua University and chaired by Margaret Chan, Dean of the Vanke School of Public Health and WHO Director-General Emeritus, a Lancet Commission analyzed four years of data on China's health poverty alleviation policies, their implementation and broader implications for global health.

The report examines how China combined financial protection and primary healthcare with interventions in safe drinking water, housing, nutrition and education.

Key findings include:

• Approximately 1.4 trillion yuan was invested in health-related poverty alleviation between 2015 and 2020.
• A national monitoring system tracks more than 80 million low-income rural residents to identify risks of health-related poverty.
• The share of inpatient expenses paid out of pocket by people living in poverty declined from 41.0% in 2013 to 31.0% in 2018.

Given the concurrent implementation of multiple policies and data limitations, further research is needed to assess the contributions of individual measures.

The launch convened 130 participants from government, international organizations, universities, research institutes and healthcare institutions. Speakers included Chen Zhu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Tsinghua University Vice President Wang Hongwei; Sun Yang, Deputy Director of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration; and Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet. Martin Taylor, WHO Representative to China, addressed the event by video.

Horton discussed the links between health and social determinants, including nutrition, water, housing and education. Chen Zhu called for appropriate technologies to reach primary care settings and for closer coordination across prevention, screening, treatment and long-term health management. Qiao Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of Peking University Health Science Center, spoke about women's and children's health, quality of care and patient dignity. Amanda Bissex, UNICEF Deputy Representative to China, emphasized the role of nutrition, healthcare and social support in addressing multidimensional poverty from early childhood.

In her closing remarks, Margaret Chan said that health equity means ensuring that everyone is recognized and respected and has access to the services they need. She described the report's launch as a starting point for further research, policy dialogue and international cooperation.