Chinese Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the
World Bank have jointly launched the SARS and Infectious Disease
Response Program in Beijing on July 7 in support of the
government's efforts to combat
SARS
and other potential infectious disease threats. This unique
multi-donor supported program is funded by US$11.5 million
equivalent of concessional loans from the World Bank, a UK?3
million grant from the UK's Department for International
Development (DFID), a C$5 million grant from the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), and complemented by a
regional grant of US$2 million from the Japan Social Development
Fund. The launch was marked by a government-sponsored workshop
attended by senior officials of the MOH, MOF, National Development
and Reform Commission (SDRC) and other related government agencies,
representatives of DFID and the British Embassy, CIDA and the
Canadian Embassy, WHO and the World Bank, and project management
staff from the eight project provinces.
Executive Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang said, "SARS is an
unforeseen and serious disaster confronting all mankind, which has
severely threatened the health and safety of the people, and
undermined social life and economic development." Over the last few
months the government has taken strong measures to bring the SARS
disease under control. WHO has recently lifted the travel advisory
against Beijing and also removed the city from the list of
SARS-infected areas. "Although we have achieved a major victory in
combating SARS, it is not the end of the battle. We need to make
persistent efforts. Since we do not fully understand the
transmission mechanism of SARS nor have we developed vaccine and
effective treatment, we must maintain vigilance, continue to
improve the prevention and treatment measures, and strengthen
international cooperation to prevent a potential resurgence of the
disease."
To
support the government's efforts, the program focuses on addressing
SARS related diagnosis, clinical management, and infection control
needs in the event that there is a future re-emergence of the
disease; and drawing on recent experience, strengthening the
capacity of the public health system more generally for infectious
disease prevention and control, through improving surveillance and
case reporting systems for infectious diseases, and setting up
alert and response mechanisms to address public health crises.
The program will target areas which have had a severe SARS
epidemic, are in the middle and western economically disadvantaged
regions, and are particularly vulnerable to this type of epidemic
because of a large and highly mobile population or role as a major
transportation network center.
Over the next several months, the program will focus on:
-
- Monitoring and evaluating SARS related risks and preparedness
for combating any emergence of SARS in the provinces that currently
have limited epidemics or have reported no cases.
-
- Eliminating the public threat of SARS, particularly in those
areas that have been highly affected by the SARS epidemic, and
minimizing the likelihood of a possible resurgence of SARS in these
areas.
-
- Improving the level of skills for clinical management of SARS,
in order to improve the cure rate and lower the fatality rate in
the event of a re-emergence of the disease.
Beginning immediately and over the next two years, the program will
at the same time:
-
- Strengthen overall capacity for infectious disease prevention
and control.
-
- Improve infectious disease surveillance and reporting.
-
- Set up alert and response mechanisms for detecting public
health crises.
-
- Improve capacity for operational research on infectious disease
prevention and control in collaboration with renown international
research/technical institutions, particularly WHO.
-
- Use the lessons learned and experience gained in the program to
inform the process of building an adequate public health
infrastructure as well as issues of broader health sector reform
and development.
Yukon Huang, Director of the World Bank China Program said, "We
applaud the government's efforts in addressing this disease thus
far through adoption of strict preventive and treatment measures
and a transparent, public information campaign which is helping to
minimize both the health and economic costs of the SARS disease. We
expect that the experience and insights gained through this SARS
response program will feed into a longer-term initiative, suitable
for external donor support, that is focused on broader health
sector reform and development concerns."
"We are especially pleased that donors were able to work together
so quickly to support an integrated multi-donor approach. By
working in partnership with the government and with other
international health agencies, we are optimistic that the disease
will continue to be contained, and that longer-term efforts can get
underway to strengthen the public health system," commented Sir
Christopher Hum, UK Ambassador to China. "SARS has also revealed
the importance of making health care more affordable for the
disadvantaged. We hope that this program can assist the government
in meeting the health care needs of the poor more generally."
Gordon Houlden, Canadian Embassy's Minister for Political-Economic
Affairs said, "We commend the partnership between the government of
China and World Health Organization (WHO) in tackling the spread of
this disease. The WHO has taken the lead in helping the Ministry of
Health to obtain accurate and timely data on cases of SARS, and
assisting the government in their efforts to contain the crisis. We
look forward to supporting some of their key activities which
include efforts to assess the vulnerability and preparedness of
selected provinces and research that would build understanding of
the origins and transmission mechanisms of this disease."
"We must aim to eliminate SARS as a global threat and the success
achieved by the Chinese government is critical in this regard.
Through this multi-donor program, WHO's partnership with the
Ministry of Health can be further strengthened to ensure the
preparedness of the health system for potential resurgence of SARS
and control of other infectious diseases," said Dr. Henk Bekedam,
representative of the WHO in China.
The Ministry of Health will be responsible for the implementation
of the program under the overall direction of the National SARS
Command Center of the State Council. Eight provinces,
municipalities and autonomous regions that have been heavily
affected will benefit directly from the program resources,
including Inner
Mongolia, Shanxi,
Henan,
Guangxi,
Hebei, Tianjin,
Guangdong
and Beijing.
Advisory support is also planned for other central and western
provinces. The benefits are expected to go well beyond China. It
will enable China to access the best international expertise on
infectious diseases to help bring SARS fully under control and to
strengthen China's public health system. The experience gained and
lessons learned in responding to the SARS epidemic will in turn
enrich global knowledge and understanding of SARS, thus benefiting
other countries in combating this global public health concern and
similar infectious diseases threats of global public health
concern.
(China.org.cn July 8, 2003)