When it comes to healthcare provision, China has a huge population to cater to. On top of that, China has been experiencing major demographic changes with both the birth and death rates declining. This leaves China with an increasingly aging population with unique healthcare requirements.

One of the most common problems that the healthcare sector has to deal with is the rate at which cancer is spreading in the country.

The lifestyle changes that came with industrialization and rapid growth have changed the healthcare requirements of the country in numerous ways. As a result, China has the highest number of patients of many chronic illnesses including cancer. According to the reports by Qianzhan Industry Research Institute in Shenzhen, Chinese patients make up almost 30% off all the new cancer patients that are reported across the world. This translates into roughly 10,000 patients being reported every day across the country. The statistics may be dismal, but the Chinese government is quick to recognize the need for measures in this regard and has been diligently working to improve things when it comes to research into cancer treatment and provision of high quality healthcare services to cancer patients.

There has been a renewed focus on research and development into cancer treatment at government level with new supportive government regulations and policies. The approval process and priority review was also renewed in 2015 to reduce the amount of time taken to review and approve cases. This has provided much-needed impetus to Chinese pharmaceutical companies conducting oncology research and will assist them in the development of new drugs. With the government’s unconcealed support for a biotech revolution, many local pharmaceutical companies are encouraged to rise up as global leaders in cancer-related drugs and treatment.

BeiGene is one example of a local firm that has made significant progress with its products and has the potential to change the local drug production landscape by going global.

On the other hand, the government’s efforts to provide affordable oncology treatments and healthcare services to cancer patients have been commendable. The government has included 17 new cancer treating drugs into its public medical insurance system.

Furthermore, the Chinese government has recently launched a standardized treatment for breast cancer patients that will have them treated for the ailment through innovative therapies. The program that goes by the name, Bo’ai Xin’an, is operational across 34 cities in the country.