RESPIRATORY Medicine / Pulmonology Updates

[Comment] Reshaping COPD care in China: bridging geographical divides and empowering health-care workers https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(26)00318-8/fulltext?rss=yes The Lancet Respiratory Medicine Commission on the present and future of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevention, diagnosis, and management in China by Rong-Chang Chen and colleagues1 highlights a monumental public health challenge. With an estimated 100 million individuals affected, representing roughly a quarter of the global burden,2 COPD inflicts a substantial clinical and monetary toll, consuming up to 40% of the average annual household income in direct medical costs. Although national programmes, such as the Healthy China Initiative 2019–20303 and the inclusion of COPD in the National Basic Public Health Service Project, mark pivotal policy developments, two crucial dimensions require further exploration to translate policy into practice: mitigating geographical disparities and empowering the health-care workforce on the frontline.