Herbal medicine development has played a crucial role in shaping public health outcomes in China over the past decade. With strong government support, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasingly integrated into the national healthcare system, improving accessibility and affordability. This study uses panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2014 to 2024 to analyze the impact of herbal medicine development on population health. To address potential endogeneity and ensure robust estimation, we constructed a System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM) model for empirical analysis. The results indicate that herbal medicine development is significantly associated with improved regional health outcomes. Consequently, this systemic integration contributes to a more comprehensive management of chronic diseases and measurable improvements in population health indicators. However, challenges such as quality control, standardization, and regulatory oversight persist. Therefore, it is recommended that the Chinese government further strengthen the policy framework for the integrated care model. Future efforts should focus on deepening the structural integration of herbal medicine into the primary healthcare delivery system, ensuring that the expansion of this sector continues to serve as a robust proxy for a more resilient and comprehensive national health infrastructure.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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