Chinese medical aid team in Zanzibar Hospital, Tanzania in January 2024. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By QI Liming

April 7 was World Health Day. Health is the most crucial indicator of a happy life. Chinese from all walks of life have realized the importance of staying healthy and that they themselves have the primary responsibility of looking after their own health.

Li Bin, deputy director of China's National Health Commission, said, "The level of health literacy of the Chinese is steadily improving at a rate of about two percent every year, and a healthy lifestyle has become the trend."

In June 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared China had eliminated malaria. After eradicating smallpox, filariasis, polio and neonatal tetanus, China has exterminated another major epidemic. WHO hailed the reduction of malaria infections in China from 30 million per year to zero as a remarkable achievement.

China's success in eliminating malaria has been widely recognized by the international community. More and more countries are learning from China's experience in malaria prevention and control. Chinese medical aid teams have been sent to 76 countries and regions.

From eliminating malaria, polio and other major infectious diseases to building the world's largest medical and health service system, China's road to health involves the well-being of about 18 percent of the world's population, providing a "China solution" for improving global health governance.

Qiao Jianrong, WHO'srepresentative in China, said, "The health service system based on primary health care ensures the accessibility of health services and can respond to public health emergencies in a timely and effective manner."