A master plan for healthcare over the next decade was unveiled yesterday, the first step in a highly anticipated reform of the medical system that aims to provide fair and affordable services for all citizens.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, or the Cabinet, jointly issued the guidelines after more than two years of debate and revision.

By 2020, the country will have a basic healthcare system providing "safe, effective, convenient and affordable" health services for urban and rural residents, they said.