China was winning the fight against the flu-like SARS virus and controlling the illness while maintaining economic growth, President Hu Jintao said on Monday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao delivers a speech during an anti-SARS  conference in Beijing July 28, 2003. [Xinhua]

China "had achieved a major victory at this stage," Hu said at a national working conference on the issue of SARS prevention and control, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao. "The victory against this struggle increased all countries' confidence in China's development outlook."

In his speech, Hu recalled the arduous course China had experienced in the fight against the disease. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, he extended cordial and lofty greetings to the country's medical workers, scientists and all those who had devoted themselves to the anti-SARS campaign.

Hu also expressed his heart-felt thanks to the overseas Chinese and Chinese nationals residing in other countries, as well as foreign countries, institutions and individuals who had contributed vocal or material support to China's anti-SARS drive.

"At this moment, we want to extend our condolences to the martyrs who laid down their lives in this battle as well as those compatriots who have been deprived of their lives by SARS," he noted.

The president went on to sum up the experience China had accumulated and obtained in the fight against SARS and emphasized that the leadership of the Party was the key factor for the country to promote its undertakings and overcome difficulties.

Meanwhile, Hu acknowledged that numerous problems had been exposed through the anti-SARS campaign, such as the lack of coordination between the country's economic and social development and between urban and rural development; the backwardness of public health facilities and flaws in the public health system; and the inadequacy of the emergency treatment mechanism. He expressed his hope that the campaign could be an important opportunity to improve the work of the government.

The conference was held to sum up the experience gained in SARS control work, to strengthen public health work and to discuss ways of promoting sustained economic and social development.

Top officials, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, pledged that China will spend three years establishing and improving a quick-response system against unexpected dangers to public health, its disease-prevention and control system and a supervisory system for enforcing health-related legislation.

Premier Wen said that more effort is needed to solidify the present achievements and prevent the virus from rebounding.

Wen said that China will gradually promote other aspects of its public health system, including rural health, basic medical services in urban areas, environmental health and financial support.

He also promised to introduce more preferential measures to increase the income and health levels of China's 900 million rural residents. The average per capita rural healthcare expenditure is only about 25 per cent that of its urban equivalent.SARS surfaced in southern China in November before exploding in Beijing in March. The disease infected 5,300 people nationwide and killed more than 340 while hammering the travel, hotel and airline industries before it was tamed in late June.

China's economy grew 6.7 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier -- the slowest pace in 12 years -- as SARS had a sharp but transient impact on the economy.

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