The Chinese central government has always been concerned with the
health and welfare of people in Taiwan and will provide any aid
necessary for the island to fight SARS, Vice-Premier Wu Yi said.
Since the SARS epidemic began in Taiwan, the mainland has invited
health workers and experts from Taiwan to visit the mainland many
times and shared information with them, said Wu, who is also the
health minister.
Wu
was in the Swiss city Geneva to attend a meeting of the World
Health Organization.
The mainland has also provided Taiwan with a newly developed
reagent, Wu told WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland.
The Chinese leader added that people in Taiwan have access to all
kinds of health information and that there is close cross-Straits
co-operation.
Brundtland said the Taiwan issue has already been resolved in the
World Health Assembly. She said she does not want this issue to
disturb the handling of the SARS epidemic and other global health
issues.
Wu
also briefed Brundtland on China's fight against SARS.
The vice-premier said the Chinese Government attaches great
importance to the health and safety of its people and that the
fight against SARS is now on the top of the agenda of governments
at all levels in China.
Wu
pointed out that, with more than two months of hard work, the SARS
epidemic in China is under control to a certain extent.
Brundtland said the WHO highly appraises the effective measures
taken and the great efforts made by the Chinese Government in the
prevention of SARS.
The director-general said the spread of SARS reminds the
international community of the importance of building public health
systems.
In
Beijing, the Ministry of Health said the Chinese mainland is giving
the Taiwan authorities greater access to information and resources
to help prevent SARS.
The ministry has opened a special website with daily reports on
SARS and information released by the WHO.
From the beginning of the SARS outbreak, the Association for
Relations Across the Taiwan Straits has informed Taiwan of the SARS
situation on the mainland, providing information on prevention and
treatment methods and the case histories of Taiwanese SARS patients
residing on the mainland.
On
April 9, the association began providing Taiwan with SARS
preventive medicine and technical information.
Medical experts from both sides of the Straits have been exchanging
information, often through teleconferences, conducting field
investigations and exploring ways to combat SARS.
Some Taiwanese experts had earlier called for the creation of
permanent systems for cross-Straits health-care and disease-control
co-operation to assist Taiwan's efforts against the disease.
Local governments and medical institutions on the mainland have
donated SARS medicine, more than 8,000 protective face masks and
three air-disinfecting machines to Taiwan.
The Beijing municipal government has prepared materials to send to
help the battle against SARS in Taiwan.
(China Daily May 20, 2003)