A medical group in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, help local residents in need to select drugs and deliver to their household amid a COVID flare-up on September 8, 2022. Photo: IC

A political advisor has called for grassroots Chinese hospitals to build special departments treating respiratory diseases, so to prepare for dealing with contagious diseases should a pandemic strike the country again in the future.

Wu Hao, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), submitted his proposal this year for grassroots hospitals to build special departments addressing respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, COVID-19 and flu. These departments should be capable of treating respiratory diseases in normal circumstances, and are also able to deal with contagious illnesses during a pandemic.

"Respiratory diseases are the most difficult to prevent. If those diseases were not properly addressed during normal circumstances, health workers will be scrambling when an actual pandemic hits," Wu, dean and professor of the School of General Practice and Continuing Education, Capital Medical University, also the chief expert for community health in Beijing, told the Global Times.

Wu pointed out that compared with other diseases, respiratory diseases are more likely to trigger a pandemic, because they spread faster and wider. The onus of early detection, treatment and prevention should be on the grassroots hospitals. However, health workers at grassroots level medical institutes have less professional knowledge and many hospitals are poorly equipped in regards to medicine and treatment capability .

He believes a special department for just treating respiratory diseases with professional doctors and equipment will improve the country's overall preparedness in dealing with other infectious diseases.

Stepping up the construction of grassroots hospitals, which played vital role in China's fight against COVID-19 over the past three years, became a focal topic during this year's Two Sessions, which concluded on Monday.

Zhang Wenhong, also a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, and a renowned Shanghai-based infectious disease expert, said during a press conference on March 4 that now that the COVID-19 ebbed away, it is a perfect time for China to strengthen the building of grassroots hospitals, enhance cooperation between top hospitals and those at the grassroots level, the key steps that helped China emerge from the shadows of COVID-19.