{"id":77900,"date":"2023-02-16T12:45:54","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T01:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=77900"},"modified":"2023-02-16T12:41:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T01:41:22","slug":"digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

China has prioritised implementation of digital technology in the health sector in recent years. In November 2022, China proposed the digitisation of national health information by 2025 as part of its\u00a0five-year national health informatisation plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Globally, digitisation has been used as\u00a0a solution to issues<\/a>\u00a0such as labour shortages, healthcare privatisation and health record management. The Australian government, for example, has supported the development of a range of\u00a0digital initiatives<\/a>\u00a0for enhancing the cost-effectiveness of the public health sector.<\/p>\n

Because digitisation is being led by technology companies, the public health sector is becoming more complicated by the intersection of public and commercial interests. There is growing\u00a0awareness<\/a>\u00a0of issues related to data governance and bioethics in digital health.\u00a0Concerns<\/a>\u00a0have emerged about the potential for digital technologies to exacerbate health inequality and the influence that corporations may have over public health policies. In China, apprehensions are centred on the potential for privacy breaches and human rights abuse due to its healthcare divide and polarisation as well as its status as a surveillance state.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s\u00a0health informatisation plan\u00a0aims to digitise and standardise China\u2019s healthcare systems from the national to the county level\u00a0across all provinces<\/a>. The plan demonstrates a general sense of optimism that digitisation will solve the current and future problems faced by China\u2019s public health system.<\/p>\n

The framing of China\u2019s Covid-19 tracing program, Health Code, as simply an extension of China\u2019s pandemic surveillance doesn\u2019t show the full picture. The Covid-19 pandemic undoubtedly exposed weaknesses in China\u2019s healthcare system and accelerated the process of public health digitisation on a larger scale, but these technologies also create problems.<\/p>\n

Health Code was initially implemented on\u00a0DingTalk, an enterprise productivity management application owned by the Alibaba Group. It was used to document and report employees\u2019 welfare to employers to assess their capability for work. In February 2020, Tencent and Alibaba worked with the municipal governments in Shenzhen and Hangzhou, where the two tech giants are based, to experiment with including the Health Code functionality in WeChat and Alipay, the two primary digital platforms for communication and financial transactions in China.<\/p>\n

Since early 2020, Health Code functionality has been rolled out across the nation to improve the recovery of China\u2019s economy after\u00a0massive lockdowns across China<\/a>. It tracks users\u2019 movements to identify if they have been exposed to a Covid hotspot. Green, yellow and red indicators show whether a citizen is permitted to go out and access public facilities or must undergo home or collective mandatory quarantine.<\/p>\n

Each province launched its own version of Health Code, enabling local government officials to manage and even exploit the local Health Code system. In June 2022,\u00a0five officials<\/a>\u00a0in Henan province were disciplined after manipulating the local Health Code system to prevent protestors from travelling. The case raised concerns about whether digital health systems might become a convenient tool for the government as a form of political and ideological control over ethnic minorities or protestors.<\/p>\n

More protective and ethical data-management guidelines have yet to be established in China. In\u00a0August 2022, a breach<\/a> of Shanghai\u2019s Health Code system exposed the data of 50 million users. Their names, phone numbers, identity documents and Covid status were then put up for sale on the dark web.<\/p>\n

This incident exposed the vulnerability of citizens\u2019 data stored by government agencies. China has accelerated efforts to establish a legal architecture for data protection over the past five years, such as the promulgation of the\u00a0Cybersecurity Law<\/a>\u00a0in 2018 and the\u00a0Personal Information Protection Law<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Data Security Law<\/a>\u00a0in 2021. But these measures have proven to be inefficient in providing meaningful guidance for how governments, from the national to the local level, should use, collect and protect citizens\u2019 data ethically and with accountability.<\/p>\n

The digitisation and unification of China\u2019s health system will not translate to an inclusive model for public health systems. China\u2019s harsh lockdowns exposed\u00a0the fundamental challenges<\/a>\u00a0of its healthcare system, with poor coordination between health organisations, providers and local governments. Healthcare resources are unevenly distributed across age groups, geolocations, social classes and occupations, with the\u00a0upper-middle-class<\/a>\u00a0residents of major cities benefiting far more than marginalised rural residents. The digital divide and the lack of digital literacy further deepen healthcare polarisation.<\/p>\n

Policymakers should seek to improve public health systems by addressing the root causes of the problems affecting healthcare, rather than seeing technology as a silver bullet to resolve all issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

China has prioritised implementation of digital technology in the health sector in recent years. In November 2022, China proposed the digitisation of national health information by 2025 as part of its\u00a0five-year national health informatisation plan. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1673,"featured_media":77904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[52,2175,2708,983,215,500],"class_list":["post-77900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-china","tag-data","tag-healthcare","tag-pandemic","tag-privacy","tag-surveillance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDigitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"China has prioritised implementation of digital technology in the health sector in recent years. In November 2022, China proposed the digitisation of national health information by 2025 as part of its\u00a0five-year national health informatisation plan. ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-16T01:45:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-16T01:41:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1241028363.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"681\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fan Yang\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fan Yang\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1241028363.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1241028363.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":681,\"caption\":\"TOPSHOT - Workers scan QR health codes of people entering a shopping mall in the Huangpu district of Shanghai on June 1, 2022, following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the city after a two-month lockdown. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL \/ AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL\/AFP via Getty Images)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/\",\"name\":\"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system | The Strategist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-16T01:45:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-16T01:41:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/ba49a41c9547775a924929cdb8a14c58\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/ba49a41c9547775a924929cdb8a14c58\",\"name\":\"Fan Yang\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3903fd5652959aef78c5aeab514df16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3903fd5652959aef78c5aeab514df16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fan Yang\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/fan-yang\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system | The Strategist","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system | The Strategist","og_description":"China has prioritised implementation of digital technology in the health sector in recent years. In November 2022, China proposed the digitisation of national health information by 2025 as part of its\u00a0five-year national health informatisation plan. ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/","og_site_name":"The Strategist","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org","article_published_time":"2023-02-16T01:45:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-16T01:41:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":681,"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1241028363.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fan Yang","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ASPI_org","twitter_site":"@ASPI_org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fan Yang","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/","name":"The Strategist","description":"ASPI's analysis and commentary site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1241028363.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1241028363.jpg","width":1024,"height":681,"caption":"TOPSHOT - Workers scan QR health codes of people entering a shopping mall in the Huangpu district of Shanghai on June 1, 2022, following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the city after a two-month lockdown. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL \/ AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL\/AFP via Getty Images)"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/","name":"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system | The Strategist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2023-02-16T01:45:54+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-16T01:41:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/ba49a41c9547775a924929cdb8a14c58"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/digitisation-no-magic-pill-for-chinas-ailing-public-health-system\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Digitisation no magic pill for China\u2019s ailing public health system"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/ba49a41c9547775a924929cdb8a14c58","name":"Fan Yang","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3903fd5652959aef78c5aeab514df16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3903fd5652959aef78c5aeab514df16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fan Yang"},"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/fan-yang\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77900"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1673"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77900"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77905,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77900\/revisions\/77905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}