Rules for medical emergency response teams updated

Each national-level medical emergency response team should have at least 60 members and should be ready within two hours upon receiving orders, according to a regulation released by China's health authorities on Friday.

China's medical emergency response teams are responsible for emergency handling and on-site health management in major and acute incidents. The last document designed to regulate such teams was released in 2010.

In an updated regulation jointly released by the National Health Commission, National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and National Disease Control and Prevention Administration on Friday, each team is required to have at least 30 emergency management and healthcare professionals and at least 30 standby personnel.

It said these teams should be ready within two hours after receiving orders from health authorities.

The document also lays out minimum requirements on the capability of different types of teams. For instance, teams categorized as specializing in handling major epidemics should be able to complete laboratory testing of at least 1,000 samples, receive 200 outpatient patients and treat at least five severe infected cases each day. They should also be able to transfer patients and perform epidemiological investigations.

The document emphasizes carrying out regular training and drills as well as improving team's informatization and intelligence levels.

Guo Yanhong, head of the commission's department of medical emergency response, said during a news conference in July that China had set up 40 national-level medical emergency response teams and 6,500 lower-level teams.

By the end of 2025, the number of national-level teams will be raised to around 60 to 70, she said.