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A Chinese lawmaker is suggesting improving medical science capacity to prevent epidemics. Dr. Ding Lie-ming from the pharmaceutical industry told our reporter Wu Guoxiu, why he thinks the science sector should be more involved in dealing with public health emergencies. 

Dr. Ding Lieming has been a national lawmaker for seven years, serving his second term now.

Since COVID-19 struck the country, Ding's been leading his company in eastern Hangzhou city to develop drugs and vaccines to fight it.

He says that although Chinese scientists isolated and fully sequenced the virus in a short time and shared the information with the world, other research of the virus could have been faster.

So he is suggesting that China improve its innovative ability in medical science.

DING LIEMING NPC Deputy "Looking back, our scientific research on the virus was still a little bit slow. Especially in the early period, how the virus triggered the sickness, how infectious it was, we need to improve our scientific innovation capability."

For years, his company has produced new and innovative medications for malignant tumors and diabetes. He thinks China needs a better job of storing emergency materials, including medicines, at regional levels throughout the country.

DING LIEMING NPC Deputy "Emergency drugs should be stored not only for epidemics. When delivery services were suspended, many patients including cancer patients faced many difficulties in getting drugs. So all regions need to store emergency drugs and materials."

China's central leadership has ordered a shoring up of weak spots in the public health sector. Dr. Ding believes the country needs a top level design for a scientific defense system against public health emergencies, with stronger technology, better facilities and effective team building.

WU GUOXIU Beijing "Incomplete statistics from the National Health Commission show that China now has more than 200 national lawmakers and political advisors from the health sector. They are mostly drug developers, scientists, doctors and nurses. They are those who know where the government failed in COVID-19 control, and who are eager to bring problems and solutions to the table at the Two Sessions. Wu Guoxiu, CGTN, Beijing."