An introduction to the Patriotic Health Work

(en.nhfpc.gov.cn)

Updated: 2014-07-15

Third, the adoption rate of sanitary toilets in rural areas has been substantially increased. The work to renovate toilets in rural areas has been deepened and further promoted, particularly since it became one of the major public service items after health reform in 2009. By the end of 2013, the central government had appropriated 8.27 billion yuan ($1.33 billion) to help 21.03 million farmer households build sanitary toilets. The adoption rate of sanitary toilets in rural areas has increased to 74.09 percent. The evaluation of the overall beneficial results of the toilet renovation project of the health reform in the 2009-2011 period suggests that the incidence of fecal-oral transmitted disease in project areas has markedly reduced from 37.5 per 100,000 to 22.2 per 100,000. Of them, the number of people who got sick with dysentery, typhoid and hepatitis A declined by 35.2 percent, 25.1 percent and 37.3 percent, respectively. After having their toilets renovated, rural resident awareness of being sanitarily civilized has been enhanced. The percentage of rural residents that have health knowledge and the percentage of rural residents who have developed personal hygiene practices has increased by 7 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Toilet renovation in rural areas has resulted in less expenditure on fertilizers because more organic manure is used. The direct economic benefits of the project are as high as 51.69 billion yuan, and the output-input ratio is 1-to-5.3.

Fourth, the work to control vector species has been continued. The control of vector species focused on doing away with the “four pests” (rats, sparrows, flies and mosquitoes). It has been one of the highlights of patriotic health work. In 2009, the NPHCC and the former Ministry of Health jointly issued the Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Vector Species. The regulation focuses on the principle of comprehensive prevention and control based on the notion that work has to be focused on environmental improvement.

The NPHCC has, by attaching importance to standard system development for the prevention and control of vector species, guided the specialized committee of the standard of vector species prevention and control to publish 33 relevant standards. Patriotic Health Campaign committees at all levels have, on the basis of their own local conditions, organized seasonal campaigns to do away with the “four pests,” which has been an important factor in appraising the performance in the building of hygiene units. As a result, the breeding and multiplication of vector species have been effectively controlled, thus preventing and reducing the incidence and epidemic of vector-transmitted diseases.

Fifth, the work to build healthy cities has been piloted. In December 2007, the NPHCC answered the call of the WHO and launched work to build healthy cities on a pilot basis. It designated the following cities as pilot cities (districts or townships): Shanghai, Dongcheng district of Beijing, Xicheng district of Beijing, Dalian in Liaoning province, Suzhou in Jiangsu province, Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Karamay in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Qibao township in Minhang district of Shanghai and Zhangyan township in Jinshan district of Shanghai. In 2008 and 2010, the NPHCC collaborated with the WHO and successfully held the International Mayors Forum for Healthy Cities, thus affecting and pushing forward the vigorous development of activities to build healthy regions. According to incomplete statistics, seven provinces (municipalities) in China developed activities to build healthy province (municipalities), and 34 prefectures or cities developed activities to build healthy cities. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region awarded China the “Special Award for Building Healthy Cities (Hygiene Cities)” to commend the Chinese government’s contribution in this regard.