Tsinghua— Lancet Commission on health and poverty alleviation in China ‘nnian Lions, Kun Tang ming 2ny Zhu L Wine Vi, Vien Lin Rist Aun and Maraart Chan Achieving the UN Sust ‘whom were pushed into poverty due to health-care costs. # The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the problem in 2020, pushing an estimated 160 mil inable Development Goals of ending al forms of poverty by 2030 i a erucal global challenge. Despite some progress worldwide, more China's journey towards poverty alleviation i primarily a story of economic growth. In the 1980s, Chins had the world’s highest poverty rte, with staggering gross domestic product has had an approximate 80-fod increase over the past 40-year, the numberof people living in extreme poverty has fallen by nearly 80 Especially i the early years of economic growth, Chin, in its pursuit of economic advancement, predominantly prioritise efficiency, which inadvertently neg isabiltes, and ethnic minorities. As poverty alleviation improved, a more refined strategy became essential. © Accordingly in 2018, China launched its tage extreme poverty and tallor approaches, resources, and duty holders tit them out of poverty ‘Health remained a crucial issue i the poverty alleviation strategy, The interplay between poor health and poverty has sparked concern among policy makers, lion, acounting for around 40% of al individuals living in extreme poverty in China in 2015, ® Inequitable access to health services further compounded t than in large urban counties. 7 8 This is despite a 76% reduction in Chinas overall infant mortality rate from 38:1 to 8:1 per 1000 livebirths between 1991 anc ‘health, and the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the 70ch Session ofthe UN General Assembly in September, 2015, triggered theultimate launch of Previous evaluations of health-related poverty alleviation efforts in China have been narrow in scope fragmented, and largely subjective. °° Recognising the alleviation policies and interventions, a Commission as been formed as a collaborati a University’s Vanke Sthoot of Public Health and Thx ‘ealth policy, development economics, epidemiology, sociology, governance, and implementation science; are fom high-income, midale-i critically, and independently, China's experiences, setbacks, and challenges regarding its poverty alleviation campaign, especially around health-related domai between Tsing ind low-ine ‘To achieve this goal, the Commission plans to conduct a series of independent investigations into the different dimensions and the effects of Chin's Health an guiding principles and speifc goals of the campaign; strategies to translate these goals into policy and practical ations, such as health-care delivery and finat structure, multisectoral coordination, andthe shared accountabilities of governments and individuals. To facilitate a systematic assessment ofthe effectivenes extensive dataset, arguably one ofthe largest in the word, pertaining to helth and poverty alleviston, Ths dataset was established and managed by the Natic milion people who were previously living in poverty in China. The dataset includes micro-leve information on individuals socioeconomic status, disease cone ‘individuals, aswell as macro-level information summarising health resource allocation, health finance, and other sociodemographic statistics. In addition tot sorvige surveys and conduct field studies in rural western China. The main findings ofthe Commission's work are expected to be available by 2024. Through progress of and provide valuable insights into China's ongoing and forue trajectory for sustainable health and poverty alleviation. Teal also provide new evié ‘This online publication has been corrected. The corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com on October 6, 2023,A reports grants paid to his institution from Novo Nordisk, Roche, Novartis, and UICC and consulting fees from Merck & Co, Novartis, and F Hoffmann-La T authors declare no competing interest References 1. HaellJ, Roser M, Ostz-Ospine E,Arviageda P: Poverty. Our World in Data. npeiovworkindats olny (tps ouwordngts, 100 milion still pushed nto extreme poverty because of healt -o-essenil el 80/2600 lon al ushes-oto-enrera- poverty becaue-ot heal oxpenses (isa wean s-elene/201712rome ovary boca nealthaypansos) View nite 3, World Bank: COVID-19 to add as many as 150 milion extreme poor by 2021, estoy werdbank om lenoushress essa 7020/1 O0Tcovid os a saleae!2020/007 le 1940oasanas-{S0silionanems-goncy-2021) Vow narice 4. World Bank: Lifting 800 people out of poverynew report looks at lessons from Chinas experience, oso weddhank rlennousleaseselase/202204) (cups oral org/n/news nesoonse/70221040 fig: AO) llon-esole--ovatty-ey-eoo ks Jossons roca. xp) Vow naricls 5, le L, LUX, Lee CY: Last mile in anti-poverty drive: impact of cadres appraisals on growth and poverty reduction, World Dev 2025; 167: Vow parila ¥-P, how X-N: The yeor 2020, a milestone in breaking the viious yee of poverty and illness in Chin, Infect Dis Poverty 2020; %: pp aware 7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: wow nadia ant mortality rates in rural and urhan areas inthe United States, hesdivamca qonhalenduceldstabet 8. Van de Poel E, O'Donnell O, Van Doorslaer E: What explains the rural-urban gap in infant morality: household or community characteristes?. Demogre Mew in Ardea Cogs Rt (piso 1983460, 0 0074) 9. National Health and Family Planning Commission ofthe People's Republic of China: China health and family planning statistical yearbook 2026.2016.Pe 10. World Bank: Four decades of poverty reduction in China: drivers, insights forthe world, andthe way ahead 2022. 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