China mulls further streamlining procedures for treatment of occupational illnesses

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Chinese lawmakers have proposed further moves to facilitate the procedure for helping those suffering from occupational illnesses, according to a draft law amendment submitted to a bimonthly session of the national legislature which opened Monday.

The draft amendment to the Law on Occupational Illness Prevention and Control will undergo its third reading at the session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which is set to run until Saturday.

The draft, which includes the latest input from legislators, stipulates that local governments can arrange other ways for patients to get treatment if their former employers no longer exist or if the claimed original work relations can not be ascertained.

In proposing the article, lawmakers have referred to the reality that many people who have sustained occupational illnesses can not receive appropriate treatment due to a lack of access to quality medical services.

The draft also highlights the role of the worker's union as a supervisor of work regarding the treatment of such illnesses within an organization.

The worker's union must be consulted when an employer is working out or amending its own system regarding occupational illness prevention and control, so as to better protect the legal rights of workers, according to the draft.

To promote the building-up of treatment and rehabilitation centers for those suffering from such illnesses, lawmakers in the draft proposed the country encourage and support the development of relevant organizations.

Furthermore, the draft stipulates that health authorities with local governments at the county-level or above should regularly collect and analyze statistics on occupational illness prevention and control.

Legislators believe the figures will be helpful because China has long been in want of accurate statistics for those have been affected or already sickened by such illnesses.

More than 27,000 new cases of work-related illness were reported in 2010, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health.

The draft amendment had undergone two readings by the NPC Standing Committee in June and October, respectively.