China makes headway in pneumoconiosis treatment

BEIJING -- China now has over 900 rehabilitation stations for pneumoconiosis patients across the country, ensuring full coverage in towns and communities where these patients are most concentrated, according to a health official.

Affiliated with existing township health centers and community health service centers, these stations have offered accessible, free services to over a million pneumoconiosis patients, integrating traditional Chinese medicine, physical exercise, psychological counseling and nutritional support, said Li Jun, an official with the National Health Commission (NHC), at a press briefing on Monday.

At present, pneumoconiosis remains incurable, but through standardized treatment and rehabilitation, it is possible to slow down disease progression and improve patients' quality of life, Li said.

Regarding the classification and catalog of occupational diseases, Li noted that in recent years, health issues stemming from poor working practices and work-related stress -- both physiological and psychological -- have become more prominent, prompting revisions to the catalog.

The NHC added occupational musculoskeletal diseases and occupational mental and behavioral disorders to the catalog last December, making it largely in line with the International Labour Organization's standards and the practices of most countries worldwide.

Comprising 135 diseases across 12 categories, the new edition of the classification and catalog of occupational diseases will take effect on Aug 1, Li said.