(Health Times reporter Kong Tianjiao, Wang Aibing)
On February 16, the Provisions on the Functional Allocation, Internal Institutions and Staffing of the National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention and the Notice of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Adjusting the Functional Allocation, Internal Institutions and Staffing of the National Health Commission were released. The "three certainties" plan, which has been discussed by the industry, has finally been officially announced.
According to the National Health Commission, eight months ago, that is, on May 13, 2021, the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention was unveiled. Wang Hesheng, deputy director of the National Health Commission, became the director, Chang Jile, former director of the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, Shen Hongbing, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Sun Yang, former president of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, served as deputy directors.
What is the position of the new NDCD as a new body? Why set up a special National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention? What is the relationship with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention? What does it mean that the CDC has been given "enforcement powers"? What authority does the "Three Determinations" plan specify, and what tasks will the department undertake in the future?
What is the position of the new NDCD as a new body?
According to the newly announced "three determinations" plan, the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention is a national bureau managed by the National Health Commission and is at the deputy ministerial level. There are 1 director, 4 deputy directors, and 32 directors and deputy directors (including 1 full-time deputy secretary of the party committee of the organ and 1 leading post of the discipline inspection committee of the organ).
Why set up a special National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention?
"After the establishment of the 'three certainties' program of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, it is the state's emphasis on disease prevention and control, especially the prevention and control of infectious diseases, and I hope that under such an institution, the work content can be strengthened, the team can be brought in well, so that it can develop better, be more authoritative in society, and have more financial guarantees." Zeng Guang, a public health and epidemiology expert, told Health Times reporters.
According to the governor of Chang'an Avenue, Zhong Nanshan also said earlier, "The new crown pneumonia epidemic has exposed some shortcomings of the mainland's public health system: the step-by-step reporting mechanism for emergencies is cumbersome and easy to delay the opportunity." The establishment of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention will make up for this shortcoming. ”
He hopes that the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention will be able to do two things in the future, one is to be able to directly report the emergency situation judged as a "sudden event" to the state, saving the time cost caused by layers of reporting. The second is to supervise some administrative departments and avoid misjudgments as much as possible.
What is the relationship between the National Administration for Disease Control and Prevention and the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention?
"The National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention is the leading organ in the field of disease prevention and control in the country, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is the main technical support unit for specific disease prevention and control work; the State Administration for Disease Control and Prevention is responsible for the direction of work in this field, and the CDC is responsible for specific technical operations." Yao Yu, executive director of the Behavioral Economics Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told The Health Times that the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention is the overall responsible unit for disease prevention and control in the country, and the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention is one of its subordinate business support units.
The governor of Chang'an Avenue has also explained that the bureau is still mainly responsible for policy and management. Judging from the responsibilities of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it mainly plays an expert role, responsible for technology and business.
According to the "three determinations" plan, the CDC can "organize the investigation and handling of major illegal acts according to law" and begin to have the power of law enforcement and supervision.
According to the "three determinations" plan, the functions of disease control and supervision are merged by the CDC, and some of the functions of the Health commission are transferred, in addition to the formulation and leadership of disease control-related business, and the CDC can "organize the investigation and handling of major illegal acts according to law", and begin to have law enforcement and supervision powers.
Professor Zeng Guang said: "Before the health and epidemic prevention station had the power of law enforcement, and then because of the institutional reform, the health supervision power was divided, although there are certain benefits, but it has brought certain problems, do epidemiology has no law enforcement power, do not do epidemiological investigation has law enforcement power, before and after some disconnects, and now back to come together, so that the work is more smooth, this is a better trend, this system, to a certain extent, help to solve the above problems." ”
What are the main responsibilities of the National Directorate for Disease Control and Prevention? What are the tasks ahead?
The "Three Determinations" plan clarifies the ten main responsibilities of the State Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, including organizing the formulation of draft laws and regulations on the prevention and control of infectious diseases and public health supervision; leading the operational work of local disease prevention and control institutions at all levels, formulating supervision, inspection, assessment and evaluation methods and organizing their implementation; formulating and organizing the implementation of national immunization programs and interventions that seriously endanger people's health and public health problems, and proposing suggestions for the adjustment of statutory infectious diseases.
Yao Yu said, "The National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention is a national management department set up since the new crown epidemic, in the face of the needs of the normalization of the management of the new crown epidemic, as well as the prevention and response to other new infectious diseases that may occur. The establishment of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention in China is a positive action to comprehensively improve the work level and content of the former National Health Commission's Disease Control Bureau, optimize the governance structure, and enhance governance capabilities, not only to better respond to the current COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control work, but also to prevent and control the risks of other new infectious diseases that may appear in the future. ”
