The top legislature is mulling over a national law on health promotion, a senior lawmaker and public health expert said. Wang Longde, deputy head of the NPC's Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee, made the remarks on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions.

"We are working on the draft of the law now," Wang said. It is based on a draft law handed in by the top health authority that governs mainly basic medical practices and some public health issues.

Currently, "a basic medical law cannot serve the ultimate goal to promote people's health as public health never depends on medical treatment alone," he said.

In August, President Xi Jinping announced the Health China 2030 initiative, a bold declaration that made public health a precondition for all future economic and social development.

According to Wang, a former vice-minister of health, medical treatment and hospitals alone cannot lead to a healthy China. Prevention and a social environment that promotes health are necessary too.

"We are considering 'upgrading' that draft to a comprehensive one aimed at helping people stay healthy, rather than seeking medical treatment after they get sick," he said.

A health promotion law would prompt all the government departments concerned to strive to improve people's health during their work routine, he said, and would clearly define the responsibilities of each government department and set up an evaluation system.

For example, the education authority is responsible for health education and helping students form and lead a healthy lifestyle from childhood.

Currently, health awareness among the public is low, according to Mao Qun'an, the spokesman of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

"We've seen a surging number of chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, many due to an unhealthy lifestyle," he said.

Wang agreed, urging more education and prevention.

He cited, for example, the social security department in charge of devising and operating the nation's public health insurance, covering more than 1.3 billion people.

To promote health, the health plan needs "huge reform," he said.

The insurance policy should put more emphasis on prevention and control of disease risks, he said. "In that way, medical costs could be greatly reduced."

In the case of strokes, a majority of cases and related deaths can be prevented, experts said.

Under the current insurance policy, most of the fund went to cover medical bills incurred during the last several months of terminally ill patients' lives, he pointed out.

"We should learn from some industrial countries that pay for proven prevention and risk control measures," he said.

In some countries, they even reimburse workout fees, he added.

Wang also suggested the government set up a special division to ensure the implementation of such a law and a health-in-all strategy recognized by President Xi.