China has opened a "12320" telephone hotline in five cities to permit the public to call in with information on health emergencies, according to the Ministry of Health on Monday.

The health hotline, which the ministry plans to expand to cities all over the country in the next five years, gives the public a route to report emergencies or lodge complaints if health laws or regulations are not respected, said Mao Qun'an, the ministry's spokesman, at a press conference.

The hotline also provides consultative services on the control and prevention of AIDS and other diseases, health laws and regulations as well as government guidelines and policies, he said.

The hotline is open in Beijing, Shanghai, Shijiazhuang, capital city of north China's Heibei Province, as well as Nanjing and Xuzhou, two cities in east China's Jiangsu Province.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2006)