bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

A tough and timely lesson for all

The nightmare is finally over. Sars is under control, for now at least, and, with the World Health Organisation's lifting of the travel advisory against Beijing, it seems the  mainland can finally get back to business.

There is no doubt, however, that Sars has taught the central government a great lesson. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that the new leadership was thrown into a crisis so early in its tenure, a baptism of fire.

The lesson learned, quite simply, is a matter of government transparency and accountability to the health and interests of the people. Without good health, there can't be wealth.

Although officials of the new government led by the 4th generation leaders tried to hide Sars initially, they quickly learned that they now live in a global village. It was on April 20, after almost a month of official denials, that the leadership took drastic measures by firing health minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing mayor Meng Xuenong.

Vice-Premier Wu Yi personally took charge of the Health Ministry and Wang Qishan, a tough-talking, get-the-job done aide to former premier Zhu Rongji, was brought back from Hainan, where he was the provincial party secretary, to head up Beijing's fight.

And then everything changed. Overnight the government went from denying that Sars was an issue in the capital to giving daily updates on live television on how Sars was growing and what steps officials were taking to control it.

Although initially the city panicked, with shoppers cleaning up store shelves and then hiding in their homes, the government took dramatic steps to quarantine more than 30,000 people to prevent the spread of the disease.

Among the strong measures was the building in little more than a week of the 1,000-bed hospital at Xiaotangshan, on the outskirts of Beijing, and the designation of more than 20 hospitals as Sars   centres.

At one time, more than 4,000 people were under treatment and more than 1,000 People's Liberation Army doctors were despatched  to help fight the disease.

The streets of Beijing were  deserted, and the few people who dared to walk the streets all wore protective masks and gloves. Everywhere there were posters encouraging everyone to 'band together' in the fight against Sars.

The news media all of a sudden was allowed to report on Sars. TV stations broadcast hourly updates as if it was an obligation. Newspapers, including the People's Daily, openly criticised the government for not being more transparent as well as exhorted officials in their efforts. In other words, it was an all-out war against Sars, and the government was willing to break with the past practice of keeping things hush-hush.

Foreign medical experts, though initially critical of the government's handling, were impressed.

'I think Vice-Premier Wu Yi has been a central figure in attacking Sars,' said Robert Pollard, managing director of UK-based medical research consultancy Isis Research.

'But I believe the real hero wasn't Madame Wu or other senior leaders. It was, in fact, a laobaixin, or everyday individual, who took the risk of revealing the true extent of Sars in the capital.'

When historians look back on the Sars crisis of 2003, they should remember that it was a retired PLA doctor who tipped off the international media on the severity of Sars.

Jiang Yanyong, 72, e-mailed a letter in early April alleging that former health minister Zhang was lying about the number of true Sars cases.

He also risked his own personal safety to talk to the  media, including the South China Morning Post, on a daily basis in the runup to April 20, when the government owned up to the truth.

Dr Jiang's now famous quote - 'The people's wellbeing is above all else', recently carried on the cover of Sanlian Zhoukan, a popular mainland news magazine - should be remembered as the key lesson for the 2003 Sars crisis.

The mainland can never achieve economic greatness if its government  hides the truth from its people. The Sars crisis illustrates this lesson only too clearly. Fourth generation leaders and all future leaders should remember  it well. Perhaps in hindsight, Sars  was a blessing in disguise.



A tough and timely lesson for all