Premier Wen Jiabao met with Margaret Chan, the newly-elected World Health Organization chief, in Beijing on Tuesday, pledging to continue supporting for the WHO in promoting public health works.

 

Congratulating Chan on her successful election as director-general of the WHO, Wen added that the government paid great importance to public health works and viewed the development of China's health standards as a priority on the government agenda.

 

 

The government had created a disease prevention and control system as well as a public healthcare system for emergency public health incidents, both covering the whole country, Wen said.

 

These ensured disease information would be reported in a timely, open and transparent fashion, helping control many serious contagious diseases.

 

The government will work with the WHO in disease prevention and control, information exchanges and public health development to cement cooperation, Wen added.

 

Chan said she would improve communication among WHO member countries and promote global public health work.

 

Chan, former health chief of China's Hong Kong SAR, was elected unopposed as the next WHO director-general on November 9.

 

She received 150 votes in support, well over the two-thirds majority needed at a special session of the agency's governing World Health Assembly in Geneva.

 

Chan, 59, joined the WHO in 2003 becoming the agency's top official for pandemic influenza, as well as being the assistant director-general for communicable diseases. She is set to take office in January for a five-year term.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2006)