The national schistosome prevention and treatment conference was held in Hunan's Changsha city on Nov 21. Li Keqiang, premier of the State Council, made important instructions, which pointed out that "schistosomiasis prevention and control matters to public safety and the full realization of building a well-off society. After years of efforts, the prevention and control work has made significant achievements, but it remains a long-term effort to consolidate achievements and finish eliminating schistosomiasis. At this crucial period, relevant regions and departments must firmly put public suffering first, and consistently take care of schistosomiasis annihilation work, without slack, to safeguard and improve people's livelihood. We will continue to implement an integrated strategy that focuses on containing infection source, improve scientific prevention and control ability, and cutting off transmission routes. We'll continue to strive to improve prevention and control ability at the community level, step up governance in the implementation of essential public health service projects, and take care of patient rescue and treatment, especially offering help to those in need in less developed areas. The schistosomiasis prevention inter-departmental joint meeting should strengthen guidance, carry out prevention and control plans and measures, eradicate the plague, and restore clean soil and water." Liu Yandong, vice-premier of the State Council, attended the conference and listened to a report of the schistosomiasis prevention inter-departmental joint meeting. She stressed that relevant parties should earnestly implement the spirit of Premier Li Keqiang's important instructions, and comprehensively carry out the medium and long-term schistosomiasis prevention and control plan for 2004-2015 to achieve relevant goals as scheduled.

Liu Yandong pointed out that the Party and government always attaches great importance to schistosomiasis prevention and control work, which has made remarkable achievements, thanks to joint efforts by all parties. The work mechanism has continued being innovated. Regulation and policy has been gradually improved, and schistosomiasis has basically been eliminated in five provinces (municipalities), bringing outbreaks to a historic low and effectively protecting people's health.

Liu Yandong stressed that schistosomiasis prevention and control work is an important part of safeguarding and improving people's livelihood and plays an important role in ensuring sustainable and healthy development of the economy. Relevant areas and departments should see it as an obligatory duty to maintain public health, adhere to scientific and comprehensive prevention and control in accordance with the law, promote good experiences, strengthen epidemic monitoring and prevention and control measures, and resolutely cut off schistosomiasis transmission routes.

All personnel should vigorously popularize health knowledge; take care of prevention, treatment and assistance work; and strive to improve the life quality and health level of people in epidemic areas. Things should speed up to formulate prevention and control plans for the next decade, focusing on improving prevention and control ability and level, to strive for an early elimination of schistosomiasis.

Liu Yandong also conducted studies at schistosomiasis prevention and control points, community-level medical and health institutions, hospitals and medical schools, and hosted health medical reform work symposiums. She fully affirmed the medical reform achievements in Hunan, and asked relevant parties to give top priority to public hospital reform and build a nonprofit and efficient modern hospital management system. Liu urged all personnel to boost health insurance delicacy management and composite payment methods based on disease and head count, and let medical insurance play a guiding role in medical service supply and demand. Liu said that we have to avoid linking doctor's salary to drug prescriptions, and build a sound hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system, adjust measures to local conditions, reasonably plan regional health resources, and promote orderly and healthy non-government medical development.