The Beijing municipal government will offer special medical help for expatriates in the city for the prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Guo Jiyong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, announced the plans Thursday at a briefing on SARS prevention and treatment which was specially held in Beijing for expatriates and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

According to Guo, an around-the-clock English hotline dealing with queries from expatriates has been set up in the city, and another such hotline will be opened in the very near future.

Two hospitals have been designated to provide special medical service for expatriates, said Guo.

If any foreign patient refuses to receive treatment in Beijing to keep the infectious disease from spreading to others, he or she can contact Beijing International SOS and a special plane will be arranged for a transfer.

Guo said Beijing has also begun to hand out some English materials and a tourist card on SARS to foreign visitors and long-term residents in Beijing, notifying them where they can find relevant prevention knowledge and providing hospital phone numbers.

The sanitation work at public places such as airports and railway stations will be strengthened and taxis and subways in Beijing are required to undergo daily disinfection, Guo stressed.

The epidemic prevention and supervision work will also be strengthened in areas heavily inhabited by foreign agencies, schools and families.

Guo said that so far only four cases of SARS were found among overseas people in Beijing, and except for one death, the other three are in stable conditions and still receiving treatment in hospitals.

Some 300 overseas people, mainly from foreign embassies, consulates, major corporations and media, were invited to the briefing. The Beijing government will also brief overseas students in the city on SARS prevention and treatment.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2003)