Center for Crisis Management Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China ;
School of Public Policy and Management,Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Peng Zongchao
Center for Crisis Management Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China ;
School of Public Policy and Management,Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Zhong Kaibin
National Institute of Emergency Management, Party School of the Central Committee of CPC/ Chinese Academy of Governance, Beijing 100089, China
Lyu Xiaoli
Center for Crisis Management Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China ;
School of Public Policy and Management,Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Huang Yanzhong
Center for Global Health Studies, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey 07079, USA
Hu Yinglian
Department of Social and Ecological Studies, Party School of the Central Committee of CPC/ Chinese Academy of Governance, Beijing 100089, China
Kong Feng
College of Humanities and Development Studies, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
China has formed a national emergency management system consisting of “one contingency plan and three sets of institutions” since the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. This system is further improved after the establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Management in 2018 and the great achievements made in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aims to improve China’s public health emergency command system via investigating the history, current status, and challenges of the system. In this article, we summarize the emergency command systems responding to the SARS outbreak, the H1N1 2009 pandemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic using literature research, theoretical analysis, and case comparison. China’s public health emergency command system played a significant role in dealing with these public health emergencies and has been increasingly improved; however, it still faces various challenges. Therefore, we propose several policy suggestions to address these challenges, which involve the aspects of joint prevention and control mechanism, law system for public health emergencies, advisory board, and central–local relations.
