The Information Office under the State Council held a news conference in Beijing 10:00 am May 15. Answering the reporters’ questions, Liu Jian, vice minister of agriculture and head of the rural section of the national SARS control headquarters, pointed out that admitting diagnosed SARS patients including suspected cases is the fundamental way to prevent SARS from spreading across the country in rural areas.
According to Vice Minister Liu, the government will give free treatment to all SARS patients as well as suspected cases in farmers including those employed and working in a city. Free treatment includes quarantine, examination and hospitalization, so that the very poor can go to hospital without any doubts. All SARS patients can be admitted for treatment. As a guarantee, 2 billion yuan (US$241 million) of special funding for this project has been made available. If necessary, additional funds will be allocated.
Liu Jian said, in cities where the epidemic exists, migrant workers will receive disease prevention, quarantine and medical treatment. A three-level epidemic reporting system of county, township and village should be established to track people who have returned to the countryside. China has allocated 1.5 billion yuan (US$181.45 million), and additional 800 million yuan (US$96.77 million) recently, for the use of the construction, reconstruction and expansion of rural medical facilities. Measures have been enhanced for the publicity and education on the disease also.
According to Liu Jian, there are almost 100 million rural migrant workers working in urban areas. “In order to prevent or control them from returning home, we have taken the following measures,” said Liu. “First, to adhere to the principle of ‘three locally,’ that is, rural migrant workers who are working in urban areas should take preventive measures locally, be isolated locally, and be treated locally just like urban citizens. Their treatment and isolation will be free. Second, enterprises, which have hired rural migrant workers, shall not fire rural migrant workers unnecessarily during this period. Third, the government will help solve difficulties with labor for their families during the busy farming season so as to stabilize rural migrant workers, preventing them from returning to their home in large number. This is one way to control SARS from spreading to rural areas.”
Liu Jian revealed that 85 counties in 15 provinces on the Chinese mainland have reported SARS cases in rural areas, according to the Ministry of Health. From April 26 to May 12, there were 155 diagnosed SARS cases in rural areas, or 6 percent of the total number of new cases in the same period.
(China.org.cn May 15, 2003)
