The outbreak of SARS not only threatened the Chinese people’s lives, but also tested China’s ability to handle sudden public health crises.

“The rampancy of SARS is not because the virus is highly contagious, but because our alarm mechanism is too weak”, stated a Chinese health specialist. The lack of both a complete disease-control network led to the rapid spread of the epidemic. More than 5,000 people nationwide succumbed to the disease and China’s socioeconomic development was adversely affected.

The epidemic taught the nation that only by establishing an effective public health emergency system and a powerful disease prevention and control defense line, can it achieve coordinated economic and social progress.

Increasing Input in Public Health

With the constant flow of people in a period of globalization, diseases no longer have national boundaries. Hence, public health security, just as national defense security, financial security and information security, should be regarded as a major component of national security.

As present, many developed countries have established effective systems for handling sudden public health problems that involve huge amounts of funds. In comparison, china’s input in public health has lagged far behind. According to statistics, China’s expenditure on health undertakings accounts for only 5 percent of the GDP and that on public health makes up 12 percent of the total spending on health undertakings. The latter rate of most developed countries, however, has reached 50 percent. China’s limited input in rural health undertakings, the lack of a system for handling sudden public health problems in rural areas and the farmers’ inadequate capability of resisting attacks of severe diseases are problems calling for greater attention.

Public health specialists have pointed out that a healthy population is a major component of social of social productive forces. Investment in health can propel the development of productive forces. To increase input in public health is to adhere to the policy of putting prevention first in medical work and to prevent the harm done to socioeconomic development by the spread of diseases.

Establishing an Emergency System

The SARS epidemic has receded temporarily, but mankind’s fight against disease will last for a long time. Known infectious diseases such as plague, cholera, virus hepatitis and AIDS, as well as unknown epidemics will continue to attack people. This calls on China to maintain sharp vigilance and establish a system for handling sudden public health problems.

-Establishing a public health emergency information system. Guided by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, China is going to establish disease prevention and control centers ranging from central to county levels and send disease prevention and control workers to rural areas and urban communities, with a view to setting up a fast, smooth, prompt and accurate nationwide information network. With such a network, immediate measures can be taken to deal with any epidemic before it can spread. Thus far, the state treasury has allocated 2.9 billion yuan fro the construction of disease prevention and control centers in various localities and 1.7 billion yuan for the construction of the China Disease Prevention and Control Center.

-Establishing a contingent of public health workers. Generally, medical students in China paid attention to clinical medicine and neglected public health, as graduates majoring in public heath had little chance to use their abilities for the benefit of society. With the outbreak of SARS, many people came to realize that the number of public health workers in China was far too limited. China now urgently needs to establish a contingent of highly qualified public health workers with cross-discipline knowledge and training. It should comprise epidemic investigators, laboratory technicians and public relations staff members good at dealing with emergencies.

-Establishing a complete system for rescuer and medical treatment. After the outbreak of SARS, the Ministry of Health worked out a plan for the construction of infectious disease hospitals in all municipalities, provincial capitals and prefecture-level cities, and the establishment of infectious disease wards or isolation and quarantine units at county-level hospitals. Decisions have been made to increase investment in rural township clinics, which will enable them to acquire basic conditions for medical treatment.

Enhancing Public Awareness of Law

The Chinese Government has attached great importance to using legal means to cope with the SARS disaster. It has quickened the pace to establish a mechanism for handling sudden public health problems and used laws as an effective means to fight against SARS. This has helped considerably to enhance public awareness of law.

On April 8, on approval of the State Council, the Ministry of Heath put SARS on the list of infectious diseases subject to statutory regulation. Meanwhile, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease, which “had long since faded from memory”, regained due public attention in the course of its enforcement.

On May 9, the work of handling sudden public health problems has been brought onto the legal track with the issue of Regulations on Handling Public Health Emergencies. The regulations stipulate that provincial people’s governments must report to the State Council’s administrative department in charge of health within one hour after receiving reports on the outbreak of an epidemic disease or some other sudden public health crises, and that the administrative health departments of people’s governments above the county level must report to the governments of the same level and upper level administrative health departments within two hours after receiving reports on the outbreak of an epidemic disease or other public health emergencies. According to the regulations, any unit and any individual has the right to report to the people’s government or relevant government department about a sudden public health problem, and inform against the dereliction of duty by the government or relevant government department.

On May 12, the Ministry of Health issued Measures for Management of the Prevention and Control of SARS. The document comprises 40 articles in seven chapters, including the report, notice and announcement of an epidemic situation, epidemic prevention and control, medical treatment, and supervision and management.

On May 14, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate publicized interpretations of certain issues related to the application of law in handling criminal cases that impair the prevention and control of sudden infectious diseases and other unexpected disasters. The document stipulates that sentences shall be passed on those who intentionally spread the pathogen of a sudden infectious disease and jeopardize public security.

On May 28, the Ministry of Health issued Guidelines for Strengthening SARS Prevention and Control in Rural Areas. It calls for efforts to set up complete epidemic monitoring and report systems in the countryside, strengthen supervision over farmers and other personnel on their return home from cities, enhance the capacity of rural medical institutions to handle emergencies and treat epidemic diseases, and improve and implement relevant economic policies.

These legal documents are regarded as powerful weapons for handling various kinds of public health emergencies. SARS has brought China a crises and an opportunity as well. It has enhanced the general public’s awareness of law and introduced a more cultivated and healthier lifestyle.