Chinese authorities have vowed to strengthen treatment and preventive measures for pneumoconiosis, a lung disease common in certain industries.

In a joint notice Tuesday, the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said that, from next year, workers in industries such as mining, metallurgy, and building materials will be covered under a three-year special work injury compensation insurance program. Workers who are diagnosed with pneumoconiosis should be compensated “in a timely manner,” according to the notice, and treated with drugs and medical procedures covered by the insurance scheme.

The announcement — which also proposes a three-year campaign to implement preventive measures in high-risk industries, including regular health checks — comes after a spate of recent protests across the country in which workers banded together to demand compensation for workplace-related ailments and injuries.

Pneumoconiosis is a lung disease caused by excessive inhalation of dust or other particulate matter, with symptoms including cough, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. At the end of 2018, some 873,000 people in China had been diagnosed with pneumoconiosis, accounting for about 90% of the total domestic cases of occupational disease, according to the National Health Commission. (Image: The Paper)