An investigation into local government plans for public health emergencies in China

Objectives A cross-sectional investigation was designed to assess the quality of local government plans for public health emergencies and to determine whether relevant regulations for emergency plans are in place. Methods Sixty-six municipalities were selected randomly using stratified sampling, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health policy and planning 2007-11, Vol.22 (6), p.375-380
Main Authors: Hu, Guoqing, Rao, Keqin, Sun, Zhaoquan, Sun, Zhenqiu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
China
Councils
Crisis management
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disaster management
Disaster Planning
Disasters
Emergency Medical Services - organization & administration
emergency planning
Emergency preparedness
Emergency services
Epidemiology
Health administration
Health care delivery
Health care policy
Humans
Local Government
Municipalities
Original articles
Planning
Provinces
Public Health
Public health practice
Quality of care
Questionnaires
Response rates
Statistical analysis
Strategic planning
Studies
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary:Objectives A cross-sectional investigation was designed to assess the quality of local government plans for public health emergencies and to determine whether relevant regulations for emergency plans are in place. Methods Sixty-six municipalities were selected randomly using stratified sampling, and a questionnaire investigation on emergency plans was conducted in these municipalities. Results The findings show that approximately 50% of emergency plans omitted important content; less than 50% of municipalities had established three regulations for emergency plans. Conclusions Based on the analysis, the quality of existing public health emergency plans is not sufficient. More than 50% of municipalities lack regulations for emergency plans. Suggestions regarding the responsibility of government at different levels are made. First, central government should draw up a set of standard development procedures and a standard template for emergency plans. Secondly, local governments should revise their plans. Thirdly, local governments should establish regulations for emergency plans as soon as possible.
ISSN:0268-1080
1460-2237
DOI:10.1093/heapol/czm029