Public Health
In a move that Chinese officials claim is intended to combat corruption, increase public oversight and participation in government, and allow citizens access to government-held information, the State Council on April 5, 2007, issued the first national Regulations on Open Government Information (OGI Regulation), which take effect May 1, 2008. Implementation begins at a time when the need for greater transparency in the areas of environmental health, land disputes, disease, and food, drug, and product safety has become apparent. The time lag between issue and effective date provided citizens and government departments a one-year preparatory period.
The Beijing Number 1 Intermediate People's Court tried activist Hu Jia on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" on March 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to a March 18 Radio Free Asia (RFA) article. Hu, who has advocated on behalf of HIV/AIDS patients, environmental issues, and rights defenders such as Chen Guangcheng, pleaded not guilty, according to a March 18 Reuters article.
The Central Propaganda Department (CPD) of the Chinese Communist Party recently issued a notice to Chinese news editors restricting domestic coverage of topics relating to China's hosting of the 2008 Olympics, including air quality and food safety, according to a November 13 South China Morning Post (SCMP) report (subscription required).
The following Chinese text was retrieved on December 1, 2016, from Xinhua Net.
An unofficial English translation is available through the China Disabled Persons' Federation.
The following text was retrieved from the Web site of the Central People's Government on April 10, 2007.
The following Chinese text was retrieved on December 1, 2016, from the website of the PRC Central People's Government.
An unofficial English translation is available through the China Disabled Persons' Federation.
Beijing authorities released Wan Yanhai, founder of the HIV/AIDS advocacy group the Beijing Zhiaixing Information and Counseling Center (Zhiaixing), formerly called the Aizhixing Institute of Health Education, on the morning of November 27 after having held him for three nights without charge, according to a November 27 Associated Press article (via the International Herald Tribune) and a December 1 Amnesty International public statement.
About 600 Chinese surgeons joined top health officials on November 13 for a national summit to discuss regulation of human organ transplants, according to a November 16 report (subscription required) in the South China Morning Post (SCMP). All medical institutions that perform organ transplants in China sent representatives to attend the National Summit of Clinical Application and Management of Human Organ Transplantation, which took place in Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, according to a November 16 China Daily report.
The Beijing Municipality Local People's Congress (LPC) on August 9 released draft regulations that would give public security officials the power to hospitalize mentally ill persons only if they pose a threat to public safety, life or property. The Draft Regulations on Mental Health also prohibit discrimination against mental health patients and their family members, and call for protections for mental health patients in the workplace. Officials have discussed the regulations as part of a legislative program to be passed in connection with the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, according to a September 15 Beijing Morning News report. The central government continues to consider the 17th draft of a national mental health law that was first introduced in 1985.