The health condition of the people in China has already reached the advanced standards among the developing countries, said Chinese Minister of Health Gao Qiang in Beijing Sunday.

Speaking at the Shanghai Healthy City International Forum, he said the Chinese government attaches great importance to the progress of the country's health undertakings and speeding up is endeavor for people's life security and health building.

The average national life expectancy of the people in China has been raised from the age 35 in the 1950s to the age 72, and over 80 in Shanghai, Gao acknowledged.

At the same time, the sanitation and health care for women and children have also kept improving in China during the past decades.

The mortality rate of Chinese infants declines from last century's 20 percent to 2.5 percent.

Moreover, Gao said, China has basically established a complete medical and health service care system covering both urban and rural areas.

Currently, China boasts more than 300,000 hospitals and other medical institutions with an instituted medical insurance mechanism covering nationwide.

The World Health Organization (WTO) praised China for its substantial, effective efforts to "protect the health of world's most people at the lowest costs," said the official.

To build healthy cities and communities will be the new tasks of China's medical and health workers in future, the Chinese minister said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2005)