Completed more than one year of Ebola prevention and control in 2015 and helped Africa fight against epidemics;

Successfully averted introduction to China of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS);

Effectively carried out earthquake relief and health emergency aid work in Nepal;

Effectively responded to the fire explosion in Tianjin on August 12 and the landslide accident in Shenzhen on December 20….

Many representatives and NPC members spoke highly of the health emergency work at the just concluded national two sessions. 

Health emergency work ensures life safety

Xu Shuqiang, member of the national committee of CPPCC and head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission’s emergency division: 

"In the face of the global public health security crisis of Ebola, health and family planning departments worked with members in joint prevention and control to carefully steward prevention and control work, and realized "strict control, zero imported cases” on the home front. They also succeeded in helping Africa win against the epidemic and achieve a zero rate of infection. 

In addition to offering medical and health services for countries suffering epidemics, Chinese medical staff trained more than 13,000public health personnel abroad.” 

Fang Laiying, member of the national committee of CPPCC and director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning: 

“The medical team from Beijing had 38 people in two groups stationed in Guinea during the period of rampant Ebola infection. They remained on duty to offer locals medical health services and to train more than 1,600 local medical and community service providers.”

Zika virus

A patient from Ganxian county, Jiangxi province’s Ganzhou city, was confirmed the first to contract the Zika virus in China on February 9. 

“We immediately kicked off public health emergency response mechanisms, and strengthened mosquito monitoring, national health campaigns, personnel training, material reserves, and knowledge popularization,” said Li Li, NPC member and director of the Jiangxi health and family planning commission.

“Ganzhou has carried out mosquito eradication and environmental improvement work in a 120,000-square-meter area covering patients’ residences and surrounding sites and hospitals.”

Emergencies 

The NHFPC selected medical experts nationwide and sent them to work with medical personnel in Tianjin to deal with the major explosive accident on August 12. They finished 414 operations on the injured in the 12 hours immediately following the accident. 

After the Eastern Star capsized, Hubei province immediately gathered local medical resources and ensured that those rescued were safely sent for hospital treatment as soon as possible. 

After the landside happened in Shenzhen on August 20, all parties sent rescue forces to the site. At the same time, psychological crisis intervention, hygiene and disease control, health assessment and rehabilitation were carried out. 

QuQian, member of the national committee of CPPCC and director of the Chongqing health and family planning commission:

“A Magnitude 8.1 earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015. Chongqing followed NHFPC’s instructions and sent 56 people to Nepal as the second Chinese medical team and more than 7 tons of relief goods. They arrived on May 8, 2015. The members showed a noble work ethic and professional skills and received positive reviews from the Nepalese government and people. 

An injured local walked six hours to the medical team on May 9.Chinese medical experts overcame rough conditions and successfully operated on his hand on a 40-centimeter high tent bed. They were on their knees during the 40-minute operation. The patient’s middle finger recovered its flexibility afterwards.”

Push forward core capacity development 

2015 marked the end of China 12th five-year period and was also a fruitful year for health emergency capacity development. Xu Shuqiang said that China has sped up the development of public health emergency core capacity, while ensuring effective emergency treatments. 

The NHFPC stepped up guidance on standard emergency work development at various health and family planning departments, public hospitals, pre-hospital care facilities and disease control institutes in 2015. It issued a series of instructions; work standards, pre-arranged planning guidance and related cost guarantee policies. 

Interdepartmental and interregional prevention and control of major infectious diseases has continuously improved. Health emergency organization and management capacity has continued to be strengthened. 

Wang Yu, member of the national committee of CPPCC and director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention: 

“With technological development, our country’s capacity in public health emergency monitoring, early warning and lab testing has grown.”

The health and family planning system has continued to strengthen direct online reportingof infectious disease and public emergencies, supervise media and public opinion, and improve information gathering. 

A public health emergency risk evaluation system and a national risk assessment expert team have been established, and risk assessment capacity has been enhanced. Daily and special risk assessment and potential hazard checks have been conducted at national and provincial levels. 

Networks of public health labs have been strengthened, and lab test capacities for infectious diseases, various toxins, and environmentalor nuclear radiation health emergencies have been especially improved. The health emergency pathogen lab network has been established and rapid lab test and identification abilities strengthened.”

National and regional health emergency teams

Development and capacity of China’s health emergency response teams have been significantly improved over the years. To date, there are 37 national health emergency teams with 1,800 medical personnel and 20,000 regional medical teams with more than 200,000 members. 

Last year, two national medical emergency teams attended China-Russia and China-ASEAN emergency drills and showed their great skills and abilities. At the moment, many national teams are applying to become the World Health Organization’s international rescue team. 

List of health emergency tasks 

Xu Shuqiang said that although China’s core capacity in dealing with public health emergencies is on the rise, health emergency tasks are heavy and tolerate no letup of efforts. “Although the Zika epidemic’s primary prevention and control have produced some positive results, pressure on epidemic prevention and control is mounting as spring and summer are coming. In addition, the recently confirmed first yellow fever case indicates the difficulties in infectious disease prevention and control work.”

What health emergency efforts will be required in the 2016-2020 period?

Xu Shuqiang: member of the national committee of CPPCC and head of NHFPC’s emergency division: 

“China’s emergent and acute infectious disease prevention and control system still requires improvement, especially in monitoring, early warning and detection. The health emergency system’s informational base is especially in need of improvement. Therefore, input will be stepped up during the 2016-2020 period to comprehensively push forward development of emergent and acute infectious disease prevention and control network and capacity.”

Six major tasks in emergent and acute infectious disease prevention and control during the 2016-2020 period: 

1. Insist on early prevention to reduce epidemics.

2. Focus on early discovery and go on the offensive against epidemics.

3. Ensure rapid response to prevent epidemics from spreading.

4. Strengthen effective treatments to reduce epidemic damage.

5. Strengthen academic and scientific research.

6. Strengthen material reserves, training and drills. 

Efforts will be greatly stepped up during the 2016-2020 period to strengthen China’s medical emergency rescue capacity. China will improve its medical emergency rescue management system, develop a land, air and sea three-dimensional rescue network, enhance field medical emergency rescue abilities, and improve rescue information systems. It will establish medical emergency rescue training and drilling procedures and effectively carry out and improve storage of medical emergency supplies, with a related support system. Medical emergency rescue discipline development, talent cultivation, scientific research and industry development and education will be pushed forward. Medical emergency rescue network construction will also be accelerated.