Chinese Ministry of Health announces new regulation

cctv.com 12-24-2003 09:27

China's Ministry of Health recently announced a new regulation for the admittance of high-fever patients to medical facilities. The move is aimed at preventing the possible outbreak and spread of respiratory tract diseases, especially Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

According to the regulation, certain medical facilities without X-ray equipment will not be allowed to treat patients running a high fever. Instead they must be treated in hospitals ranked second class or higher.

Wang Yu, senior officer of Chinese Ministry of Health, said, "The regulation will be enforced this winter and next spring and will apply to Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Beijing and Tianjin, which all had serious SARS situations last spring."

Any facility not abiding by the regulation will face punishment. Outside the seven regions covered, hospitals and clinics will be allowed to formulate their own guidelines for the treatment of possibly dangerous high-fever patients.

Editor:Xiao  Source:CCTV.com