The public health campaign in the new period should be carried out in accordance with the spirit of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and governments at all levels should undertake the improvement in public health as a priority task.
Vice-premier and director of the central committee for the patriotic public health campaign Li Lanqing made the remarks Monday during a televised conference held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of China's patriotic public health campaign.
Li stressed that in order to vigorously carry forward the patriotic public health campaign in the new period governments at all levels must undertake the following major tasks:
-- Prevent and cure fatal diseases and control epidemic situations resulting from grave natural disasters.
-- Improve the public health environment by readjusting the patriotic public health campaign system. Let grassroots public health units play an active role.
-- Introduce high technology into the public health campaign.
Li emphasized that the prevention and cure of HIV/AIDS in China should be strengthened by taking comprehensive measures, including HIV prevention education, strengthening blood transfusion management and interrupting the principal channels of infection.
Li urged governments at all levels to incorporate the public health campaign into their overall economic and social working plans so that the campaign can be carried forward smoothly.
(People's Daily December 17, 2002)
