On 1st April, the Sino-British seminar for public health emergency response, co-hosted by Department of International Cooperation of Ministry of Public Health of P.R.C, Department of International Development of Britain, and co-organized by British Embassy in China, British Health Protection Agency and London Emergency Center ,was held in Beijing Hotel. Leaders and distinguished guests from domestic and abroad attended the meeting: Sir William Ehrman, British Ambassador in China, Ge Lijun, vice-inspector of Department of International Cooperation, Liang Dongming, vice-director of Office for Emergency Response, Jin Dapeng, chief of Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, Yu Luming, deputy director general of Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, and Zhao Chunhui, deputy director general of Beijing Municipal Health Bureau. As many as 100 delegates from board of health, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, and Health Inspection Bureau in all districts and counties, and Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing Health Inspection Bureau, 999 Emergency Rescue Center of Red Cross Society of China Beijing Branch, have participated in the meeting.

The purpose of this seminar is to implement the China/UK Partners in Health Innovation signed by Chenzhu, Minister of the Ministry of Health of P.R.C and Minister of the Ministry of Health of Britain in early 2008. This action project aims to prompt the bilateral cooperation in four key fields of public health emergency response, prevention and control of infectious and non-infectious diseases, hospital management and evaluation of medical service quality, as well as community health system As an important part of “Public Emergency Response” of the action project, the seminar for public health emergency response will be held respectively in Beijing and Shanghai from March to April this year.

At this seminar, a speech on the theme of “The Public Health Risks Challenge to Beijing and Construction of Emergency Response System” was delivered by Beijing Municipal Health Bureau. Prof. Brian?Mcrosky from British Health Protection Agency, Dr. Robert Spencer, microbiology expert, Mr. Peter ?Thorpe, officer of London Emergency Center and 2012 Project have respectively given lectures on “Case Study of Britain Public Health Emergency Response”, “Threatening and Solution of Emerging and Remerging Infectious Disease” and “Case Study of Suicidal Explosion in London, on 7th, July, 2005”. In the afternoon, experts from British Public Health Emergency Response as well as leaders and experts from Beijing Municipal Health Bureau and departments concerned carried out exchanges on experience of emergency management and issues of common concern, such as, effective operation of command system of unexpected public health events, establishment of coordination mechanism between departments, significant infectious diseases inspection, public health guarantee for large activities.

Since 2003, comprehensive cooperation and exchanges have been carried out among Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, MRC, HPA and so on, ranging from study of SARS immunology, prevention and treatment of AIDS, prevention and control of infectious disease as human-avian influenza, and health improvement and public health emergency response and so on. Agreement on the “Sino-British Memorandum of understanding on cooperation and study of emerging infectious diseases” was signed. This seminar will provide Beijing successful experience of British medical and health care for reference so as to learn its scientific research on emergency management system, as well as its operation methods for treatment of unexpected public health events, rescue, command system. In such a way, Beijing’s management ability of response to various emergency events will be enhanced, so that Beijing can provide better services to the 2008 Olympic Games in medical and health.