The State Council issued the National Health 15th Five-Year Plan on July 7, 2026, calling for thorough implementation by provincial-level governments and all central government departments and agencies. The plan sets a target of raising the average life expectancy to 80 years by 2030, with key health indicators reaching the level of high-income countries. It also aims to reduce the smoking rate among people aged 15 and above to 20%. In healthcare services, all secondary and higher-level hospitals are required to fully promote quality nursing and inpatient companion-free care. The plan also envisions 0.7 rehabilitation physicians and 1.6 rehabilitation therapists per 10,000 population. For infectious disease prevention, it mandates improvements to joint prevention and control mechanisms, modernization of the disease control system, and establishment of a tiered diagnosis and treatment system for infectious diseases. On health security, the plan calls for wider deployment of automated external defibrillators, enhanced food safety risk monitoring, and a better biological safety risk surveillance system. Digitalization features prominently, with requirements to promote data sharing across medical services, insurance, and pharmaceuticals, and to build a national platform for cross-provincial sharing of smart health examination results. It also encourages the use of artificial intelligence in auxiliary diagnosis, precision medicine, and other scenarios. In talent and innovation, the plan aims to accelerate the cultivation of strategic scientists and leading professionals in health, and to organize the implementation of national science and technology mega projects in biomedicine. The inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine will be advanced through initiatives such as the “Shen Nong Tastes a Hundred Herbs in the New Era” campaign. Implementation will be coordinated by the National Health Commission, with monitoring and evaluation, and all regions and departments are required to align efforts with the “Healthy China 2030” blueprint.