China to increase public health emergency supplies

BEIJING -- China will enhance its capacity of ensuring public health emergency supplies, with improved prevention and medical treatment, material reserves and production capabilities, the country's top economic planner said on Tuesday.

In late April, the central authority adopted a plan on securing public health emergency supplies, with aims to tackle problems and improve weak links in the system, and comprehensively improve the country's response abilities in terms of major public health emergencies, said Meng Wei, a spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission.

China will increase the investment in the construction of disease prevention and control institutions at various levels and biosafety laboratories, with each provincial-level region having at least one P3 laboratory with relatively high biosafety standards.

This is in a bid to significantly strengthen capabilities in monitoring and early warnings for major outbreaks, Meng said.

To foster rapid response in medical treatment, more efforts will be made to increase the construction of national and regional medical centers, establish provincial- and city-level epidemic treatment bases, and make breakthroughs in key and core, as well as basic and advanced technologies, Meng said.

Based on experience from the construction of makeshift hospitals, the dual-purpose renovation of public facilities, including large sports venues and exhibition halls, should be promoted in a bid to facilitate emergency deployment when needed, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, medical institutions will enhance reserves of treatment equipment and emergency supplies, in which enterprises and residents are encouraged to participate, to ensure rapid and effective material deployment, Meng said.

The country will also boost emergency production capabilities for medical supplies and equipment with improved mechanisms, Meng added.