The State Council, China's Cabinet, has approved the date of Aug 19 as Chinese Doctors' Day.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) and related departments will be in charge of this, with the first Chinese Doctors' Day to be held next year.

Chinese Doctors' Day falls on Aug 19 because the first National Hygiene and Health Conference in the 21st century was held in Beijing on Aug 19, 2016, which is a milestone for the health cause in China, according to a spokesperson of the NHFPC.

At the conference, President Xi Jinping clarified the important position of hygiene and health work in the whole picture of the Party and the country's cause; he also presented guidelines for the country's hygiene and health work in the new era.

The spokesperson said the establishment of Doctors' Day is conducive to enhancing the status of doctors in the eyes of the public, and will help promote harmonious relations between doctors and patients.

Chinese Doctors' Day is China’s fourth statutory professional holiday, after national Nurses' Day, Teachers' Day and Journalists' Day, which marks the significance of doctors in safeguarding the health of the people.