The 5th International Medical Parliamentarians Conference on Family Health was held in Bangkok, Thailand, December 6-7, attended by one hundred parliamentarians from over 50 countries around the world.

A delegation from China, comprising three members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Conference (NPC), China’s top legislative body, and two officials from the Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee of the NPC, attended the conference at the invitation of the International Medical Parliamentarians Organization (IMPO).

The IMPO, sponsored by the Asia Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), was reorganized in 1990, and has been mobilizing members of parliament with a medical, nursing and/or public health background.

The two-day conference in Bangkok provided a unique platform where parliamentarians with medical and nursing backgrounds came together to share their experience and knowledge of the development of health issues around the world. Ten speeches were given at the conference with topics on a range of issues including development and poverty, health services for the poor, rapid shift in population ageing, communicable diseases, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, water and health, mental health, substance abuse, and women’s health and legislation by specialists. Each speech was followed by discussion.

Medical parliamentarians have an opportunity to really make a difference in the health sector, said Dr. Prasop Ratanakorn, Secretary General of IMPO at the conference. “Your suggestions could result in the establishment of comprehensive health programs, and your decisions could result in the implementation of effective health-related legislation, where your medical acumen and experience will surely prove most useful.”

Ren Maodong, a Standing Committee member of the Chinese National People’s Congress, delivered a fifteen-minute presentation about China’s work in protecting senior citizens’ rights and interests at the conference.

Ren said that although China has achieved conspicuous accomplishments in protecting senior citizens’ legitimate rights and interests thanks to relevant legislation concerning the elderly, effective measures taken by government and the cooperation of the whole of society, China still faces a critical situation brought about by population ageing.

China is willing to carry out cooperation and exchange with parliamentarians of all countries to promote work concerning elderly affairs, said Ren.

During the discussion of the role of medical parliamentarians, Wang Yongyan, head of China’s delegation and also a Standing Committee member of the NPC, said that China’s legislators always attach great importance to enacting and perfecting laws and regulations concerning senior citizens, women’s health and gender equality. They not only concentrate on legislation, but are also concerned with the enforcement of law.

At the closing ceremony, Senator Dr. Malinee Sukavejworakit, executive director of AFPPD, remarked that “the conference has equipped you, medical parliamentarians, with knowledge about reproductive health, HIV/AIVS, poverty and population issues connected to health, and I have faith that we can continue the dialogue that we have begun here.”

“This conference covered all the topics worldwide closely related to the health of human beings and attending the conference was a good opportunity for us to get to know what our counterparts in other countries have done in those issues, which could be very helpful to improve China’s performance in dealing with those issues,” said Wang Yongyan, who is also the president of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Medical Medicine, to a staff reporter from China.org.cn after the conference had concluded.

In respect to the development of health and medical cares in China, Wang said that “medical care and people’s concept about health in China vary from region to region.” In relatively developed eastern areas, people pay greater attention to enhancing the quality of life, and want to take “greener” medicines, while in middle and western China, infectious diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis are still major problems threatening people’s health, which need greater government attention as well as outlay, said Wang Yongyan.

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Zhang Tingting and polished by Daragh Moller, December 8, 2003)