Shou Xiaoli:
Now, the floor is open for questions. Please identify your news outlet before you raise the question. Let's begin.
CNR:
During the period of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, people have keenly realized that public health events are closely related to people's health and safety. What measures have been taken to improve the public health system in the 13th Five-Year Plan period? And what progress has been made? Thank you.
Yu Xuejun:
Thank you. This is a very important question.
The public health situation in the 13th Five-Year Plan period is very complex due to the threat of multiple diseases and the existence of multiple health-affecting factors. During this period, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have made it a major goal to modernize China's governance system and capacity to build a stronger public health service system that can promptly and properly handle the sudden outbreak of a major infectious disease or the emergence of a new major infectious disease. It is stressed that emphasis should be put on prevention, prevention and control should be strengthened at the earliest stage possible, and prevention should be combined with treatment so as to provide safe, convenient, and inexpensive public health and basic medical services for the public. In implementing the decisions and plans of the central authorities, the National Health Commission (NHC) has deepened understanding of the public health governance concept, improved strategies for the prevention and control of major diseases, and taken concrete measures to strengthen the public health system. In 2016, the NHC, together with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM), released the "National Health Protection Project Development Plan", in which the building of public health service capacity was listed as a key area of support during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. From 2016 to 2020, the government arranged 141.5 billion yuan, up 23 percent since the 12th Five-Year Plan period, from the central budget to invest in more than 8,000 public health projects such as the construction of disease control and prevention centers. A public health service system has been established that has professional public health institutions, including institutions for disease prevention and control, emergency treatment, and health supervision, as its backbone. The system works with the support of various types of medical institutions at all levels, makes good use of community medical institutions, and covers and involves the participation of everyone.
This year, NHC, NDRC and NATCM issued the Public Health Prevention, Control and Treatment Capacity-Building Plan to further modernize the disease control system, upgrading the treatment capacity of county-level hospitals and improving the urban infectious disease treatment network. We are now advancing the construction of national major epidemic treatment bases and pilot projects to transform public facilities for both peacetime and wartime purposes in an orderly manner. All this has laid a solid foundation for improving basic public health services and effectively responding to public health emergencies.
During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China successfully responded to outbreaks of H1N1, H7N9, and the Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and the incidence of major infectious diseases dropped significantly. The response to the once-in-a-century COVID-19 epidemic is an overall test of the effectiveness of our national public health system. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the fight against COVID-19 shows that China's public health service system, medical service system, medical security system, drug supply system, and major epidemic prevention and control and emergency management system are generally effective, but that there are also weaknesses.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we will strive for more precise and effective prevention while addressing deficiencies, loopholes and weaknesses together with relevant departments in line with the direction and requirements the central authorities have set for the reform of the public health system. We will make greater efforts to improve institutions, clarify functions, strengthen monitoring and early warning, and improve the competence of relevant personnel. With this we endeavor to build a strong public health system that can effectively safeguard the people's health. Thank you.
