China is about to launch ‘Healthy Shanghai 2030’ – a plan of action to promote the health of its citizens
Healthy Shanghai 2030 is a plan of action seeking to promote community health in the city of Shanghai for the next 13 years. The programme aims to make Shanghai a ‘healthy’ city by the year 2030, ensuring that 80 % of the days be characterized by good to excellent quality of air. The National Health and Family Planning Committee, in charge of the Plan, maintains that turning Shanghai into a healthy city is a key priority considering it will have to face up to an increase in the average age of its popoulation and a growing number of elderly people that should be able to enjoy a healthy life-style. The Plan of action entails several measures, including also infrastructure and provisions to do away with open-air sewage, promoting advanced land reclamation campaigns, treating polluted water and ensuring air quality control, and establishing green urban areas within a ten-minute walk from any corner of the city. Socio-economic and health measures have also been included in the Plan such as promoting health education, encouraging the practicing of physical exercise, controlling chronic diseases, raising health care levels for women and children. Moreover the Plan is meant to focus on promoting other measures that would go to the benifit of citizens’ health, such as overseeing food safety, developing health insurance policies and improving road safety.
