China's State Council, or cabinet, on Wednesday approved in
principle a draft law revision that means better education, better
rehabilitation, a higher standard of living and more jobs for the
country's disabled.
The changes were backed during an executive meeting of the State
Council, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, also a Standing Committee member of
the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central
Committee.
The meeting said the Law on Protection of the Disabled "played
an important role in ensuring the legal rights and interests of the
disabled since its implementation in 1991".
"But with economic and social development advances, new
circumstances and problems occurred with the protection of their
rights and interests," said the meeting, adding revising the law
was imperative.
The revision draft deepened the concept of putting people first
and focused on improving or adding stipulations guaranteeing the
rights and interests of the handicapped, the meeting said.
Improvement include:
-- Establishing and improving rehabilitation service system for
the disabled; encouraging and supporting establishment of such
institutions.
-- Setting up educational institutions for the disabled and
providing financial support for disabled students and children with
poor disabled parents.
-- Setting up more public welfare jobs for the disabled,
providing free employment services, and encouraging employers to
arrange job for the disabled.
-- Adopting necessary aid measures for the disabled families who
still suffered poverty though enjoying guarantee of subsistence
allowances for urban residents.
The draft also added stipulations on the improvement of the
disabled- friendly facilities and the building of an easy
environment for the handicapped to equally participate in social
life, the meeting said, adding that the revision further made clear
legal responsibilities for the infringement of disabled people's
rights and interests.
The meeting decided that the draft revision would be submitted
by the State Council to the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress, China's top legislature, for further
deliberation.
Wednesday's meeting also deliberated and approved the draft of a
nurses regulation.
"Nurses are an important component of the medical force and
their work is closely tied to medical security and people's
health," the meeting pointed out.
It's necessary to draft the regulation so as to safeguard
nurses' legal rights and regulate their work, the meeting said.
The regulation made clear the establishment of a nurses'
registration system, nurses' rights and interests and their
responsibilities, excellency awarding, and the responsibilities of
medical institutions in safeguarding nurses' rights and
interests.
The regulation would be promulgated by the State Council after
further improvement, the meeting decided.
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(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2008)