Xi Jinping makes important instruction on patriotic health campaigns

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- On the 70th anniversary of the launch of the patriotic health campaigns, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made an important instruction, and pointed out that, over the past 70 years, under the leadership of the CPC, the patriotic health campaigns have focused on people's health and given priority to prevention, playing an important role in changing the landscape of urban and rural environment and sanitation, effectively responding to major infectious diseases, and improving the level of social health management. He hoped that the comrades on the national patriotic health and sanitation front would always stay committed to their original aspiration and missions, inherit and carry forward fine traditions, diversify working contents, innovate working methods and make new contributions to the building of a Healthy China.

At present, Xi Jinping stressed, China's COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control is facing new situations and new tasks, and it is necessary to carry out more targeted patriotic health campaigns, and give full play to the strengths such campaigns can gather in organization and mobilization. People should be guided to actively learn health knowledge, have a command of health skills, develop good personal hygiene habits, practice a civilized and healthy lifestyle, and build a social defense line for epidemic prevention and control with thousands of civilized and healthy small environments, so as to effectively protect people's safety and health, Xi said.

Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that, over the past 70 years, remarkable achievements have been made in such campaigns with the participation of the people, which have played an important part in protecting people's health, and they are a major project for the people. Li said that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era must be studied as the guide to implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in carrying out patriotic health campaigns. Prevention must be maintained as the priority, and mechanisms and work methods must be innovated to further improve environment and sanitation in urban and rural areas, and promote health education, so as to make new contributions to the building of a Healthy China.

Currently, China is optimizing its adjusted COVID-19 prevention and control measures in an orderly manner. We should give full play to our strengths so as to keep all relevant parties motivated in their response to the epidemic in a science-based manner. Governments at all levels should redouble their efforts to ensure people's access to medical services and anti-epidemic materials, so as to protect the people's health and safety.

Patriotic health campaigns are our Party's successful practice in applying the mass line to the work in the sector of health and disease prevention. Over the past seven decades, the campaigns have been carried out under the leadership of Party committees, guided by governments, with coordinated efforts from all multiple departments and participation of the whole society. Adhering to the "big health" concept, efforts have been made to address problems at the source in carrying out such campaigns and remarkable progress has been made.