Beijing municipal government came up with a 2.98 million yuan
special fund for vaccinating migrant workers in Beijing. In the
following month, 800,000 migrant workers will be offered vaccines
for measles and epidemic meningitis prevention free of charge.
On Tuesday afternoon, migrant workers queued at the construction
site of the Huang'an Building near Anzhen Bridge of Beijing.
Doctors from Dongcheng District Disease Prevention and Control
Center were giving inoculations against epidemic meningitis to
migrant workers free of charge. Meanwhile officials from Beijing
municipal government carried out fieldwork at the site.
As is well known, there is a huge floating population in Beijing
and in recent years, every period of high-infection, migrant
workers catch and spread disease, like measles and epidemic
meningitis. In order to prevent these infectious diseases, Beijing
municipal government allocated in particular a large sum to fund
migrant worker inoculation, especially for those working on
construction sites as well as in factories and enterprises. Last
week, sanitation doctors at all Beijing hospitals in every district
and county began to organize and carry out visits to migrant
workers for the purpose of inoculation. In addition, all costs are
being absorbed by the state.
Migrant workers are benefiting greatly from Beijing municipal
government’s health protection policy. This is the first time this
has happened in the capital.
The vaccination of migrant workers has begun at nearly all large
construction sites in Beijing. The workers are first grouped
together to have epidemic meningitis vaccinations and given a
vaccination certificate. Two weeks later, they will get a measles
vaccine.
The vaccination program for migrant workers should be completed
by January 15 next year.
(China.org.cn by Wang Ruyue and Daragh Moller, December 26,
2003)