China has revised a regulation to protect patients suffering from work-related diseases by requiring employers to submit information needed for diagnosing workers.

The Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council published the draft regulation on Wednesday concerning work-related disease patient diagnosis, which is a revised version of the current one, inviting public submission.

According to a statement issued along with the regulation, in determining whether a patient suffers from a work-related disease, information about work-place hazards is needed. The revision has been made to ensure a diagnosis can be performed, even if employers do not provide information or provide falsified information.

According to the draft, if employers do not provide information, or patients question the authenticity of such information, patients could apply for arbitration of labor disputes and arbitration authorities should handle the case within 30 days.

Further, employers will be held liable if they fail to provide relevant information within the time period designated by the arbitration authority.

Public submissions will be accepted until November 19 on the website, www.chinalaw.gov.cn.

(Xinhua News Agency November 4, 2010)