Ma was born in
Wutai County,
Shanxi in December 1959. He is part of the
Han ethnic group. In April 1978, he was accepted to
China Medical University. Upon graduation in December 1982, he was assigned to work at the
Ministry of Health. He joined the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1982. He became a cadre at the then Ministry of Health before working for China Medical University where he later served as hospital administrator and party secretary. He also became the director of Liaoning Provincial Health Department. In October 2001, he was appointed Vice Minister of Health. On 19 March 2018, Ma was appointed
head of the National Health Commission at the first session of the
13th National People's Congress. Ma has been one of the leading figures in the fight against
COVID-19 pandemic as well as communication around it. == References ==