![\"\"](\"https:\/\/capitalcambodia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Xi-Jingping-in-facemask.jpg\")
Compared to the American CDC, the Chinese CDC is certainly less powerful in status and it lacks the necessary manpower, technology and authority to get things done. Meanwhile, the American counterpart possesses a headcount of 14,000 full-time employees and 10,000 contracted staff on its payroll, with an annual budget of US
\n$12 billion to boot. On top of that, the American CDC is given large administrative authority and holds a high ranking, both of which enable the country to uphold adequate preventive and control efforts. In times of a public health emergency, the American CDC is capable of making major decisions such as ordering the lockdown of highly populated areas i.e. airports and restaurants or advising the public on the next moves. In fact, they are even given clearance to report any major health emergencies directly to the President themselves, all of which increases the country\u2019s efficiency at handling any health crisis. As a whole, the American CDC not only serves as a key institution for decision-making and technical guidance, it also holds a key role in aiding state and local health agencies to improve their technology and capabilities; of which the latter would then enable local health agencies to detect any potential health threats more effectively and prevent them from escalating any further.<\/p>\n
With the public health management\u2019s reformation becoming one of China\u2019s top priorities in its post-epidemic reformation and restructuring attempts, it is unlikely that the Chinese CDC would be \u201cspared\u201d from the spotlight either. Then again, assuming that it is indeed in for a reformation, it is also important to realise that the reform can\u2019t, and won\u2019t, happen overnight. Instead, a more realistic approach to the matter would be to integrate China\u2019s existing disease prevention teams and resources with the CDC to form a more cohesive CDC system for the nation, while streamlining its functions and power.<\/p>\n
Truth be told, China has no qualms about providing the CDC with additional funding, manpower and authority, yet the bigger question that remains unanswered is what and how the departments involved intend to redefine the CDC\u2019s role post-reformation, should an upgrade and an expansion in power happen. Without answering this question, the act of reforming China\u2019s CDC would be nothing more but a pointless show that involves a hefty amount of money and delegation in power at best, and one that lacks aim or purpose. The way Anbound sees it, China\u2019s CDC would require a massive overhaul in its status, capabilities, services and manpower \u2013 to name a few \u2013 in order to set it apart from its former self. In this case, the biggest change to come out of the reformation would be China\u2019s CDC transition from being a professional and technical consultation-centric body to a public policy service-driven organisation that places great importance on transparency in regards to communication, as well as being adept at coordinating any form of responses to public health emergencies. Apart from the large number of epidemiologists, virologists, doctors and academicians present in the organisation, China\u2019s CDC should also facilitate the inclusion of numerous public policy experts within its ranks. With all that in mind, if the transmission of a disease ever progresses to the point where it becomes a public health concern, the CDC\u2019s response and management model can move beyond a technical level and transform into a complex and multifaceted one that involves making public health decisions, coordinating policies and implementing them accordingly.<\/p>\n
A point worth stressing is that transparency in communication should be made a part of the CDC system\u2019s \u201cgene\u201d or core value, as well as its inherent requirement. As mentioned by one of the country\u2019s epidemiology experts, the field of epidemiology serves as the backbone to any preventive and control efforts for diseases, and tasks involving disease surveillance, outbreak reporting, epidemiologic field investigation and public health decisions are of the most basic procedures. In a way, one can almost liken the field to a form of \u201cintelligence gathering\u201d, though it goes without saying that there is way more than that to the whole CDC. Research, early warnings, decision-making and implementations of any kind relating to public health must be based on timely and accurate information and the action plans must also be formulated in accordance to this information. Judging by China\u2019s response towards the epidemic on a domestic level, particularly in its early stages, it was apparent that the communication between public health sectors and the government was poorly maintained, which translated to the country\u2019s failure to make a timely and effective decision to deal with the epidemic. The government missed their golden opportunity to contain the initial outbreak during the early stages and subsequently caused the virus to snowball into an epidemic.<\/p>\n In the near future, China\u2019s CDC would have to undergo a major restructuring in its roles and power. Public policies-wise, the following needs to be accomplished \u2013 one, do away with the old-school protocols and work on strengthening early warning systems for public health crises and give the Chinese CDC the authority to issue warnings in their own right. Two, let the CDC make high-level decisions, grant them the necessary clearance to advise the central government and State Council on any policy-related matters and provide the central government with timely and consistent updates regarding any public health issues. Three, implement technical guidance and coordinate work across all local CDCs laterally, ensuring that they\u2019re more than capable of supervising and directing public health agencies efficiently in the event of public health emergencies. Four, actively strengthen China\u2019s study on global public health crisis and study each country\u2019s public health emergency response plan during the country\u2019s downtimes. Five, monitor the country\u2019s public health medical supplies system on a technical level, urge all levels of health department and local government to up their A-game and keep close watch on their progress. Six, organise public health emergency drills \u2013 overseen by experts to give professional input \u2013 throughout various regions and cities. In China, Xi Jinping had pointed out numerous times that the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic is a means of testing the country\u2019s governance capabilities and capacity, though the million-dollar question lies in how exactly the epidemic can help elevate the country\u2019s governance capabilities. Anbound believes that the answer to that lies in the country\u2019s professional capabilities \u2013 better professional research, decision-making and execution in any plans as well as stronger professional governance. After all, better governance capabilities and capacity stems from better professional capabilities.<\/p>\n To conclude, with the Chinese CDC being the focal point of China\u2019s reformation, the country is expected to perform a massive overhaul in its disease prevention and control efforts as well as its public health systems in the wake of the epidemic. That said, before the expansion in power and status can happen, the CDC must first learn to redefine its role moving forward, so as to ensure that it becomes a much more efficient and effective key public policy organisation that has the citizens\u2019 best interests at heart; one that prioritises their health and safety. \u200b<\/p>\n Mr. He Jun takes the roles as Partner, Director of China Macro-Economic Research Team and Senior Researcher. His research field covers China\u2019s macro-economy, energy industry and public policy.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All levels of authorities, ranging from the central government to civilians, are already offering a multitude of reflections and summaries concerning the COVID-19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"A group of medical workers wearing high grade hazmat suits discuss an action plan for combating the spread of COVID-19. AFP","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":null,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":null,"footnotes":""},"categories":[258],"tags":[70,786],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/capitalcambodia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/COVID-19-cells.jpg\")