The central government is set to bridge a long-existing rural-urban gap in health service delivery by establishing a unified network allowing all Chinese equal access to high-quality preventive care.

Under the project, every Chinese on the mainland is expected to enjoy a package of free clinical preventive services, including health education, vaccinations, child and maternity healthcare, and chronic disease management funded by central and local governments.

It is reportedly the first time the central government has systematically and heavily invested in the healthcare sector, which experts said marked a shift from focusing on disease treatment to prevention.

"That's more in line with a global trend to highlight prevention in health service delivery and is particularly significant for the huge rural population in the country, who had little access to such services before," said Wu Ming, a professor at Peking University's school of public health.

Under the project, launched last year, grassroots health institutions, including privately owned village clinics, are responsible for delivering services to local residents while the government will foot the bill at an annual average of 15 yuan (US$2.25) a person.

"The exact input may vary regionally, according to the local economic situation, but in general will surely be constantly increasing," Vice-Minister of Health Chen Xiaohong said at an evaluation conference on Wednesday.

"It's a huge investment by the government, for prevention work is a long-term task that needs at least a decade to bear fruit," Wu said.

Sarah Barber, team leader for health policy and system development of the World Health Organization's Beijing office, said that over the long run, preventive care does have an economic bonus, and it was a great move for China to change the incentives to keep people healthy.