On Aug 21, China celebrated its Ninth National Disability Prevention Day with a press conference in Beijing, highlighting significant progress in the National Action Plan on Disability Prevention (2021-25).
The event was jointly organized by the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA). Officials from these organizations and relevant experts addressed questions from reporters.
According to the CDPF's Rehabilitation Department, local governments and departments have earnestly implemented the action plan, achieving smooth progress in key areas and remarkable results in disability prevention knowledge dissemination, the prevention of birth defects and developmental disorders, disease-related disabilities, injury-induced disabilities, and the promotion of rehabilitation services for people with disabilities.
Over 75 percent of couples undergo premarital medical examinations, while the coverage of pre-pregnancy health checks, systematic management for pregnant women, prenatal screening of birth defects, and the systematic management rate for children under three years old all surpassed 90 percent.
The nations' standardized management services at the primary level for patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes exceeded 60 percent. The cataract surgery rate surpassed 3,000 per million people, while the standardized management of severe mental disorders reached over 95 percent. Childhood immunization coverage exceeded 90 percent, and basic rehabilitation services and assistive device access for individuals with disabilities both topped 85 percent, with some targets met ahead of schedule.
The press conference also addressed tasks related to health and safety at work, disaster reduction and relief, fire safety, injury prevention among key populations, and prevention of disabilities caused by infectious and endemic diseases.
The MEM has launched a three-year action plan to address fundamental issues in work safety, strengthened safety measures in key industries, and guided local fire and rescue departments to step up inspections and rectification of fire hazards in relevant institutions.
In 2024, the number of workplace safety accidents nationwide decreased by 42.7 percent compared with 2020, while the number of institutional fires reported by fire and rescue departments dropped by 5.3 percent year-on-year.
The NDCPA actively promoted child injury prevention, continued advancing fall prevention programs for the elderly, optimized the national immunization program strategy, consolidated integrated measures for endemic disease control, and boosted efforts to eliminate major endemic diseases such as iodine deficiency disorders, Kashin-Beck disease, and skeletal fluorosis as causes of disability. In 2024, the overall control and elimination rate of endemic diseases across affected counties nationwide reached more than 95 percent.
In addition, experts answered questions on how to identify and intervene in major disability-causing injuries in work and daily life.
The press conference also introduced the arrangements of the publicity and education activities for the ninth disability prevention day.