Zhifei Donating RMB10 Million for Setting up China's First “Escort Disease Control Fund”

On the afternoon of January 31, in spite of the harsh winter weather in Beijing, the news release room of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) was full of warmth. It was announced that the “Escort Disease Control Fund” (“the Fund” hereinafter) of China Population Welfare Foundation (CPWF) was set up under the guidance of NHFPC's Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control. Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd. (“Zhifei” hereinafter) donated RMB10 million to the Fund jointly sponsored by CPWF, Chinese Preventative Medicine Association (CPMA) and Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance. As the first public welfare fund of its kind in China purposing “Serving Disease Control with Respect and Blessing for Life”, the Fund aims at better caring for the disease control professionals, improving the health education of the public, enhancing the populace's health literacy, and thereby promoting the overall development of the disease control and prevention.

Mao Qun'an, Director General of NHFPC's Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control said in his speech that “we should conduct disease control following the principle ‘prevention first’, bring health education into full play as the foundation and guidance of the health cause. We hope that the Escort Disease Control Fund will become a model among special funds via promoting the development of disease control, health education and propaganda, and helping disease control as well as medical practitioners.”

Yang Weizhong, Vice President and Secretary General of CPMA, said in his speech that the Fund was set up by fulfilling the health policy for the new era. It is an epitome of the whole society's efforts in co-constructing and sharing the “Healthy China” led by the government and participated by social organizations at all levels. More organizations are expected to get involved in the establishment of a diversified financing mechanism, making “Healthy China” come true better and faster in join hands.

According to CPWF's Director General Hao Linna, “Disease control is of paramount importance. It provides public welfare by guaranteeing the public's health and improving people's livelihood. The Fund will do good to the disease control field as a major initiative in cooperation with NHFPC. It is also an important action of CPWF to mobilize social resources to get involved in public welfare undertakings and supply deficiencies as appropriate.” Hao also make a commitment on behalf of CPWF at the donation ceremony that it will, in thorough respect of the donors, properly manage and utilize the funds in strict accordance with the applicable special fund management method.

Mr. Jiang Rensheng, Zhifei's Board Chairman who had worked in the disease control field for over two decades, expressed his feelings about the fund. He knows for sure that disease control professionals are always on the front line, and even give up their lives in major outbreaks like SARS, Ebola and “avian flu”, or in epidemic control after disasters such as Yangtze River flood, Wenchuan earthquake, etc. A lot of them are plagued by diseases and hardships in their old age after retiring from the fight against pathogenic bacteria over years…They are well-deserved “unsung heroes” of the society! Here lies the greatest meaning of the Fund. It shows these “unsung heroes” have never been forgotten by all the people. The government is trying to bring together all available forces to do some good for them in real terms!

Chairman Jiang mentioned that Zhifei has, over the more than a decade since its establishment, been abiding by the concept “Prevention First” and adhering to the tenet “Social benefits go before enterprise benefits” to introduce over ten vaccine products to the domestic market, safeguarding the public's health and fulfilling its corporate obligations in disease prevention and control. He also expressed the sincere expectation that the Fund, under NHFPC's guidance and management of CPWF and CPMA, will bear abundant fruits by practically benefiting the disease control and prevention in China and the respectable disease control professionals, thus accelerating the leaps and bounds of disease prevention and control in China!