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)