The Communist Party of China (CPC) stresses reforming scientific, educational and cultural systems to improve China's national innovation capability and overall quality of its citizens in a decision on improving the economic system.

The decision on improving China's socialist market economic system, approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee held from Oct. 11 to 14, urges setting up a mechanism favorable for nurturing, attracting and keeping talents of various sorts.

A market system should be established to facilitate the flow of human resources, says the decision.

It urges accelerating the establishment of a national innovation system to facilitate the optimal allocation and comprehensive use of scientific and technological resources in the whole society.

It says that enterprises should assume a dominant role in making technological innovations and in making investments in science and technology.

The decision calls for introducing a modern national educational structure and lifelong learning system, building a society that keeps learning, pushing forward all-round education in a comprehensive way and enhancing citizens' capability to seek employment, carrying out innovation and starting enterprises.

As a result, the country's huge population would become an advantageous ample supply of human resources for China's economic growth, explained the decision.

The decision calls for raising funds for education through multiple channels and allowing both public-funded and private schools to develop simultaneously.

In the cultural fields, the decision notes, social benefits should be the top consideration of administrative organizations.

It calls for establishing a dynamic production and management system for cultural products, raising more funds through multiple channels and nurturing a number of large enterprise groups in the sector.

The decision urges beefing up the government's role in public health administration and building a health and medical system in conformity with the socialist market economic system.

It also demands stepping up construction of public health facilities, making full use of and integrating existing resources, setting up and improving an illness information network system, disease prevention and control system and medical treatment system to better the state's capability in offering public health services and in responding to possible public health emergencies.

Moreover, the decision says, while accelerating the reform of the medical and health system in urban areas, health and medical facilities in the countryside should also be improved. Needy farmers should have access to medical aid.

The decision calls for fully tapping the use of traditional Chinese medicine in medical treatment, further improving the hygienic monitoring system and ensuring the safety of food, medicine and medical treatment.

(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2003)