China this year will amend its 1989 law on the prevention and
control of contagious diseases to eliminate legal loopholes as part
of its fight against SARS.
Monday's meeting of chairman and vice-chairmen of the National
People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee placed this
legislation on its work agenda for 2003.
"The proposed amendment has been added to this year's agenda of the
legislature and to that of the State Council," said Sheng Huaren,
vice-chairman and secretary-general of the NPC Standing
Committee.
"The legislation was not on the original agenda of the State
Council for this year, but was added after the legislature
discussed the issue with the cabinet," he said.
The State Council "is working hard" to formulate a draft which is
expected to be presented to the NPC Standing Committee by the end
of this year, Sheng said.
A
proposed amendment to the law on the protection of wild animals has
also been added to the agenda given the possibility of the
transmission of SARS from wild animals to human beings.
The existing law on the prevention and control of contagious
diseases was adopted in 1989, and the spread of SARS in some areas
of China accelerated its amendment, an official with the Chinese
Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
"The existing law does not contain specific measures for combating
new contagious diseases, and the items covering the disease
reporting system are too general," the official said. The items on
prevention and treatment measures, such as isolation, are also far
from practical.
By
June 13, the flu-like SARS, as a new communicable disease, had hit
32 countries and regions, including China, and killed 792 people
worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
The amendments will include some of the effective measures taken in
April and May this year by the State Council, the MOH official
said.
The amended law will regulate prevention work on SARS and other
epidemics and will also safeguard public health and safety, said
Zhu Lilan, chairwoman of the NPC Educational, Scientific, Cultural
and Health Committee.
A
total of 43 new laws have been included in this year's agenda of
the NPC's Standing Committee. Of them, the law on primary
sanitation and health-care and the law on registered pharmacies are
also aimed at improving China's public health system.
(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2003)