China issues national action plan on disability prevention

China's central authority has issued a national action plan on prevention of disabilities, which aims to effectively reduce new disabilities by 2020 through promoting awareness and early screening.

Health checks, which screen for hereditary conditions, and prenatal check-ups should cover 80 percent and 60 percent of the female population over the next five years, according to the plan issued by the general office of the State Council.

By the end of the five-year term, 85 percent of newborns and children will have been tested for disabilities. Moreover, in the same time span, 90 percent of eligible children will have received free vaccinations, the document said.

It called for better supervision of safety at production facilities and improved road traffic management to reduce the likelihood of disabilities as a result of injury.

In addition, support should be improved and 80 percent of the disabled should have access to basic care services, according to the document.

Pilot areas to test a wider suite of support measures and a coordinated reporting system will be set up, it said.

Working committees for the disabled at various levels were urged to supervise and inspect the implementation of the plan, and a final inspection will be carried out in 2020, the document said. Endi