Aligning with China’s “15th Five-Year Plan”: What the Two Sessions Signal for Healthcare—and Hong Kong’s Next Moves

As China’s annual “Two Sessions” (the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) unfold in Beijing, one message is coming through clearly: healthcare will remain a central pillar of national development, and the transition from the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) to the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) will accelerate the push toward a stronger “Healthy China.”

For Hong Kong, this is not only a national policy direction to observe—it is also a strategic opportunity to align local reforms, build long-term capacity, and better integrate into the broader development agenda, including the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.

Aligning with China’s “15th Five-Year Plan”

A policy signal: seize the “15th Five-Year Plan” opportunity

During a joint meeting with Hong Kong and Macao CPPCC members, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang conveyed the central leadership’s concern for Hong Kong and encouraged the city to actively seize the major opportunities brought by the 15th Five-Year Plan.

A notable point is the suggestion that Hong Kong should develop its first local five-year plan, grounded in the national development agenda while reflecting Hong Kong’s own realities. The underlying idea is straightforward: stronger governance capacity and more structured long-term planning will help Hong Kong position itself more effectively in a period of rapid policy and demographic change.

“14th Five-Year Plan” closing strong—health goals moving forward

In the Government Work Report, Premier Li Qiang highlighted that the 14th Five-Year Plan is nearing a successful conclusion, with tangible progress made through national unity and sustained effort. Livelihood issues remained a focus, and healthcare continues to be treated as foundational public policy.

A key direction for the coming years is to strengthen basic medical and health services and accelerate progress toward Healthy China, including a clear national target: moving toward an average life expectancy of 80 years.

This points to an approach built around a “health-first” strategy—advancing reforms through:

• Institutional innovation

• Service upgrades

• Governance improvements

Hong Kong’s Health Bureau has been pushing reforms in healthcare delivery, health insurance, and pharmaceuticals, which aligns with the national emphasis on coordinated development and governance across these three areas.

Primary care becomes the backbone: implementing Hong Kong’s blueprint

A major local implementation focus is Hong Kong’s Primary Healthcare Blueprint, with actions that aim to shift the system toward prevention, early detection, and community-based management.

Key measures include:

• Establishing the Primary Healthcare Commission

• Rolling out the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Programme, including screening for “three highs” (hypertension, high blood sugar, high cholesterol) and hepatitis B

• Supporting the development of District Health Centres

• Expanding multidisciplinary primary-care networks across communities

At the same time, Hong Kong is working on clarifying and optimizing the division of roles among the Hospital Authority, Department of Health, and the Primary Healthcare Commission. On the hospital side, reforms include adopting national standards for hospital accreditation and building specialized capabilities such as stroke centers and chest pain centers, with the goal of strengthening public healthcare service quality and system performance.

Biomedicine: a strategic growth engine in the “15th Five-Year” era

Biomedicine is being positioned as a key emerging pillar industry for the 15th Five-Year period. The national policy direction also emphasizes the high-quality development of innovative drugs and medical devices, aiming to better meet diversified healthcare needs.

Hong Kong’s corresponding strategy is to build itself into an international medical innovation hub, with concrete steps such as:

• Enhancing clinical trial capacity

• Establishing the Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR) in Hong Kong

• Implementing a phased “first-tier approval” mechanism for new drug registration

• Advancing legislation to regulate medical devices

• Speeding up the introduction of innovative drugs and devices through the Hospital Authority

The intended outcome is practical: enable “good medicines to be used in Hong Kong,” and ensure that R&D benefits patients—turning innovation into real public value, not just industry headlines.

Public healthcare fee reform: sustainability, better use of resources, stronger protection

Hong Kong is also moving forward with public healthcare fee reform, starting this year. The policy objective is to guide residents to use resources appropriately, reduce waste and misuse, and strengthen protection for those most in need—often described as “the poor, the urgent, the severe, and the critical.”

In parallel, the government is improving procurement procedures to help control spending. Another track of reform is to raise pricing transparency in the private healthcare sector, supporting public confidence and enabling more balanced utilization across public and private services.

Together, these measures are meant to address a long-term challenge shared by many developed economies: population ageing and the resulting pressure on healthcare sustainability.

The bigger picture: building “Healthy Hong Kong” within the national development agenda

The Health Bureau frames its role as both a steward of public resources and a “first responsible party” for system outcomes. Preparatory work is already underway to align Hong Kong’s policy planning with the coming five-year framework.

The broader ambition is to build “Healthy Hong Kong,” participate more actively in Greater Bay Area development, and use Hong Kong’s unique position—backed by the mainland and connected to the world—to contribute to and benefit from the national strategy.