Client of China Youth Daily, Beijing, April 25 (China Youth Daily, China Youth Daily reporter Liu Changrong) This morning, the National Health and Medical Commission held a press conference to introduce the main achievements of occupational health work since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Work highlights. The reporter learned from the meeting that by the end of 2021, a total of 915,000 occupational pneumoconiosis patients have been reported nationwide, and there are about 450,000 surviving occupational pneumoconiosis patients.
It is understood that the incubation period of pneumoconiosis is relatively long, and it takes an average of 10 to 20 years from the beginning of exposure to dust to the discovery of health damage. Li Tao, chief expert on occupational health of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, explained at the meeting that many migrant workers with pneumoconiosis started to work in dust operations in the early days of reform and opening up. In particular, migrant workers are highly mobile and often work in multiple employers. Many of them may not have signed labor contracts with employers. It is difficult to clarify the labor relationship. As a result, it is impossible to provide a clear occupational history and exposure history of occupational disease hazards when diagnosing occupational diseases.
“This leads to a considerable number of workers who cannot be diagnosed as occupational pneumoconiosis despite the typical clinical features of pneumoconiosis. The number of pneumoconiosis patients who are irresponsible subjects is more difficult.” Li Tao said that in the next step, we will continue to carry out active monitoring and screening of pneumoconiosis to gradually find out the number of patients with pneumoconiosis.
Pneumoconiosis currently ranks first among the new occupational diseases reported every year in our country, and is the focus of occupational disease prevention and treatment. Regarding the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, Li Tao explained that the diagnosis of occupational diseases is not difficult in terms of medical technology, but it is difficult to confirm the labor relationship between the sick worker and the employer. Many migrant workers with pneumoconiosis cannot prove the labor relationship between the laborer and the employer, nor can they prove the occupational disease hazard factors and degree of harm they are exposed to. “At this time, the necessary evidence for the diagnosis of occupational diseases is lacking, and the employers who need to bear the responsibility cannot be identified, which may eventually lead to the failure of the diagnosis of occupational diseases and the inability to enjoy the relevant treatment of occupational diseases.”
In this regard In 2021, a new version of the “Administrative Measures for Occupational Disease Diagnosis and Appraisal” (hereinafter referred to as the “Measures”) was announced and implemented. Li Tao said that the “Measures” clarified that the occupational disease diagnosis certificate shall be signed by a licensed physician who has obtained occupational disease diagnosis qualification, and shall be reviewed and stamped by the medical and health institution undertaking occupational disease diagnosis; it also simplifies the materials required by workers for occupational disease diagnosis. It is necessary to provide the occupational disease diagnosis materials that I have mastered. The materials for occupational disease diagnosis and identification are mainly provided by the employer.
Li Tao further said that the “Measures” also clarified the time limit for occupational disease diagnosis for the first time, which greatly shortened the time for occupational disease identification and further facilitated the diagnosis and identification of patients. In addition, according to the Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases, if there is no evidence to deny the inevitable connection between occupational disease hazard factors and the clinical manifestations of patients, it should be diagnosed as occupational disease.
Source: China Youth Daily Client