The revised law was passed at the 11th session of the 10th
Standing Committee of National People's Congress (NPC). which
concluded Saturday morning.
The central government shall provide aid to major projects in
areas that cannot support their own and to poor people infected
with disease who cannot afford treatment, according to the law.
"Lack of adequate funds undermined contagious disease prevention
and control capabilities of organizations entrusted with the
tasks," vice-minister of health Gao Qiang once said. "Due to the
lack of money, some patients could not receive timely, effective
and formal treatment and became new sources of infection."
The law stipulates that governments of various levels should
strengthen prevention and control of AIDS and take measures to
prevent the spread of the disease. This is the first time that AIDS
is specifically targeted in the law.
The revised law also includes clauses that require blood
donation centers and biological product companies to strictly abide
by regulations of the state. This will guarantee the quality of
blood and blood products.
Statistics show that among the reported AIDS cases in China,
11percent were infected in the processes of having blood drawn or
blood transmissions.
According to estimates of experts, there are 840,000 people
infected with AIDS/HIV in China.
The law also rules out discrimination against people infected
with contagious diseases, people carrying the pathogen of a
contagious disease and people who are suspected of having a
contagious disease.
In general, the law underscores prevention and early warning of
contagious diseases and isolation of patients of contagious
disease. It puts greater responsibility on medical institutions to
monitor the spread of contagious diseases and prevent infection
inside hospitals.
China has established a four-level disease prevention and
control system starting from the county level up to the prefecture,
province and state levels, with a staff of 288,000 people.
By 2003, the incidence of contagious diseases in China had
fallen to 182 in 100,000 people.?
(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2004)