Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday expressed gratitude and appreciation for medical workers involved in treating severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee and State Council.

During a visit to You'an Hospital in Beijing Wen, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, highly praised the medical workers for their selfless dedication and their humanitarian spirit of "healing the wounded and rescuing the dying."

Talking with the hospital's staff members and experts, Wen urged medical workers to rely on scientific methods in preventing and treating SARS, to probe all sorts of protective measures, to try to find the cause of the disease and to publicize preventive knowledge among people.

The premier expressed hope that health departments and medical workers fully recognize their great responsibility in ensuring the people's health and continue their efforts for the prevention and treatment of the disease.

He called on health departments to take necessary measures to protect medical workers' health.

The premier was accompanied on the visit by Liu Qi, a Political Bureau member of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC, and Wu Yi, vice-premier and member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2003)