Major changes in disease control at coronavirus ground zero in China
- Hubei Communist Party boss says provincial CDC needs clearer role and its staff will have higher salaries
- Health experts say agencies require more authority to lead the way on prevention and containment during outbreaks
Provincial Communist Party secretary Ying Yong said on Wednesday that changes needed to be made to Hubei’s disease control and prevention centre (CDC), including defining clear roles and divisions of labour for the institution.
He said the head of the Hubei CDC would also be given a senior role within the provincial government’s health commission, to “strengthen the administrative functions of the CDC”.
Other changes include raising salaries for CDC employees, improving expertise and strengthening early warning systems.
The overhaul is one of a series of public health reforms in the aftermath of the pandemic, which first erupted in Hubei. The province has reported more than 68,000 cases of the coronavirus, the bulk of which were in the capital city of Wuhan.
While Beijing released a white paper over the weekend insisting it had responded with “openness, transparency, and responsibility” to the outbreak, the government has been accused of missteps and cover-ups.