China will spend three years establishing and improving a quick-response system against unexpected dangers to public health, its disease-prevention and control system and a supervisory system for enforcing health-related legislation, Chinese leaders said yesterday in Beijing.

Top officials, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, made the pledge at the national conference on the prevention and control of SARS.

The conference was held to sum up the experience gained in SARS control work, to strengthen public health work and to discuss ways of promoting sustained economic and social development.

President Hu attributed the success in the fight against SARS to such crucial factors as the effective leadership of the various levels of government, scientific knowledge and a strong sense of solidarity.

Premier Wen said that more effort is needed to solidify the present achievements and prevent the virus from rebounding.

Wen said that China will gradually promote other aspects of its public health system, including rural health, basic medical services in urban areas, environmental health and financial support.

He also promised to introduce more preferential measures to increase the income and health levels of China's 900 million rural residents. The average per capita rural healthcare expenditure is only about 25 percent that of its urban equivalent.

(China Daily July 29, 2003)