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WHO rules out Taiwan as member
By Tang Min (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-04-19 23:24 Visiting WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook said
Monday his "simple and clear-cut conclusion" is that China's membership in the
World Health Organization is paramount, and Taiwan is not welcome as a separate
player in the organization.
"This is also a position that I will stick to in the future," he said on his
first visit to China as WHO director-general.
Lee spoke after Gao Qiang, executive vice-minister of Chinese Ministry of
Health, expressed concerns over the Taiwan authority trying to join WHO
independently after being turned down for seven years.
Gao said the Taiwan authority's goal is explicitly political, noting
officials on the Chinese island province have been lobbying to become a member,
whether officially or an observer.
"What concerns the Taiwan authority is not the health issue, but the
political issue. WHO should not become a political stage," Gao indicated.
What is more, the Chinese Government has attached great importance to the
well-being and health of Taiwan's people, and has adopted a positive attitude in
regard to supporting Taiwan experts in WHO meetings in the aftermath of (SARS)
severe acute respiratory syndrome.
The mainland welcomes Taiwan experts to attend the World Health Assembly next
month, he said.
Lee and Gao also pledged greater efforts to step up co-operation between the
two sides.
Although believing the battles against SARS and avian flu have not yet ended,
Lee said he was quite impressed by China's quick control of the two diseases.
He said the "extraordinary achievements" have given him confidence in view of
the campaign China is confronting against AIDS.
China has displayed remarkable capacity in improving the situation, once it
realized the necessity, and top leadership is displaying key interest in the
fight, he said.
Gao applauded the move by WHO to ensure "available medicines at affordable
prices for AIDS patients," saying China welcomes WHO's help.
According to Gao, the biggest problem for China in its fight lies not in
related policies or financial support, but the effectiveness of the medicines
involved, because the government has policies to allow access to AIDS medicine
for poverty-stricken rural patients and allocated special funds to support the
cause. Unfortunately, the side-effects of current therapies are hard to
overcome.
Vomiting and headaches are the most prominent side effects, and China is in
need of WHO help for better therapies, he said.
Chinese statistics indicate the country has an estimated HIV carriers at
around 850,000.
Fighting AIDS is also a key goal for WHO, and Lee said WHO and China can
co-operate effectively not only in related medicines but in diagnosis and
treatment.
The two senior officials reached an agreement on the planned revision of the
World Health Regulation, which has the purpose of promoting a more efficient
international co-operative mechanism to prevent contagious diseases and should
uphold the principle of "being transparent, open and comprehensive."
Gao said the revision should take into consideration the different situations
of different countries, because otherwise, the implementation of the regulation
may freeze out less developed nations.
"China is dedicating efforts to improve our own public health system, and
really wishes the revision can be completed as soon as possible to provide us
with some essential guidance," Gao said.
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