The National Center for Respiratory Medicine was officially established in Beijing on July 26. Jointly established by the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, the center is expected to lead the way in developing China's respiratory medicine, and it will address major public health issues caused by respiratory diseases.

"China lacks the capacity for prevention and treatment for respiratory diseases, which have posed a great danger to the country. The outbreak of COVID-19 highlighted the urgent need for an overall improvement in respiratory disease prevention and control," said Wang Chen, director of the center and president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Science. 

Wang noted that, in light of the outbreak of SARS and COVID-19, the development of respiratory medicine concerns the interests of China and the Chinese people. The center was established to further expand the capacity of respiratory medicine in China, turning it into an advanced discipline. This reflects the great importance China has attached to this issue.

According to Cao Bin, executive deputy director of the center and vice-president of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, the center plans to set up a three-level prevention system for respiratory diseases. The center will help improve China's ability to diagnose and treat complicated respiratory diseases. In addition, the center is expected to set up a training system for physicians of pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM), establish a national respiratory clinical research platform, promote standardized PCCM and establishment of medical treatment partnerships for respiratory diseases.

These projects will further improve China's medical services with respect to respiratory diseases, and promote the balanced distribution of relevant medical resources nationwide.

The center will also increase reserves of technologies, talent and equipment and carry out research on pathogen spectrums, pathogenesis and clinical features of severe respiratory infectious diseases. New technologies and key equipment for early warning, emergency rescue and disease prevention and containment will be developed, and guidelines on how to prevent and control newly-discovered respiratory diseases will also be published by the center.

Zhou Changqiang, an official with the National Health Commission, said the center will help coordinate the country's efforts in respiratory disease prevention and treatment and provide a strong guarantee for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in autumn and winter this year.

Content created in partnership with Science and Technology Daily.

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