Zhu Chen: health care reform in China

Abstract

Abstract As China's economy continues to prosper, adequate health care for all people has become an uppermost issue for the government. In 2007, as China began its reform of the health care system on a scale unprecedented in recent history, Zhu Chen was appointed to head the Ministry of Health and took charge of this formidable task. Since leaving his Ministry post in 2013, Chen remains actively involved in the formulation of China's health care-related policies in his capacity as a Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, the Chairman of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, and most recently the President of the Red Cross Society of China. In addition to his achievements in administrative services, Chen also had a distinguished research career and is internationally recognized for his contribution in developing the most effective therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In a recent interview with NSR, Chen summarized and reflected upon his experience as the Health Minister, and expressed his view on the current status and future prospect of health care reform in China, and a variety of related issues in translational medicine, medical personnel training, precision medicine, and big data for health care in China.