Despite expectations of public health reforms, NPC only tinkers with Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
- The National People’s Congress approves a document that says China will set up 15 regional public health centres affiliated with the existing CDC
- Last year, officials including Xi Jinping suggested that the CDC might be revamped, but no structural reforms were proposed and analysts say they are needed
At last year’s National People’s Congress (NPC), Chinese President Xi Jinping told a panel discussion that Beijing should look into the shortcomings of its public health sector that had been exposed by the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Ever since, expectations have been high that the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) might be revamped.
Zhong Nanshan, China’s top respiratory expert, said in February 2020 that CDC’s status was too lowly and that the agency was not allowed to make public announcements; CDC’s director, George Gao Fu, said during the NPC the following May that the centre lacked the authority to play a bigger role in decision-making.
The impression was further reinforced when Xi told another meeting in June that China was determined to address its public health weaknesses. Mainland media reports speculated that China might form a “big CDC”, giving it more power and functions, possibly even taking on some responsibilities from the National Heath Commission.
But such a plan was nowhere to be found in a government document approved by the NPC on Friday about China’s 14th five-year plan for 2021 to 2025 and its 2035 vision.
The document only said that China would set up 15 regional public health centres affiliated with the existing CDC; it will also upgrade about 20 “bases” to treat infectious diseases and another 20 institutes to handle health emergencies.