The State Council, China's cabinet, on
Wednesday stressed measures to support new industries and patterns to
boost new types of consumption and foster economic recovery. It
also specified measures to speed up the innovative development of
medical education, ensuring that workers do their best to protect
people's health, according to a statement issued after a State Council
executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang. Calling
consumption a crucial pillar for economic growth, the statement said
the sector, hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, has become a weak link in
the country's economic recovery. However, new types of consumption,
supported by new industries and patterns, registered robust growth and
had great potential. Efforts should
be made to develop new-type consumption on a larger scale and of higher
quality and innovate contactless consumption patterns. Efforts should
also go into promoting the development of open online courses as well as
online diagnosis and treatment, and a combination of online and offline
services in sectors such as fitness and tourism, according to the
statement. The country vowed to
accelerate the development of infrastructure to boost new-type
consumption. It urged efforts to prioritize the coverage of 5G networks
and the Internet of Things in core business districts, industrial parks
and transportation hubs, and promote the commercial use of
consumption-related data in a safe and orderly manner. The
government will unveil supportive tax policies that foster new
industries and patterns for new-type consumption and encourage financial
institutions to lower mobile payment costs. It
will also push forward reforms to streamline administration and
delegate powers, improve regulation, and upgrade services while
simplifying license processing procedures. Efforts
should also be made to allow traditional consumption to play a key role
while enhancing the driving forces of new-type consumption. The
meeting pointed out that the number and structure of the country's
medical and nursing personnel are yet to meet the needs of building a
healthy China as the epidemic exposed the shortage of professionals in
public health, critical care, and nursing sectors. The State Council demanded efforts to strengthen reform and innovation in medical training. The
country will optimize the training structure of medical staff to speed
up fostering general practitioners capable of disease prevention and
treatment. More central fiscal
support will be extended to the education of medical undergraduates for
township hospitals in the country's central and western regions, while
enrollment of postgraduates in anesthesia, infection, critical illness
and pediatrics will be expanded, according to the statement. It also detailed multiple measures to enhance the quality of medical staff training.
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