2010-06-22 17:27

BEIJING - Senior officials from China's Ministry of Health (MOH) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have pledged to improve collaboration in the public health sector.

"This is an absolutely critical time for public health in China, in the United States and around the world, and we have much to learn from one another, and much to teach for one another," said Howard Koh, HHS assistant secretary of health, at a China-US Health Policy Forum in Beijing.

Chinese vice health minister Huang Jiefu expressed hope that through in-depth communication in the areas of health policy, public health and disease control, the two counties would enhance cooperation at a global level.

Koh said the policy forum on Monday was a tangible outcome of the second China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and it provided a tremendous opportunity for the two sides to do even more in public health.

Koh said both nations faced issues of cardiovascular disease, cancer, hepatitis and tobacco dependence, and had much to teach one another.

The topics addressed by the forum included the challenges, progress, reform, and achievements of the two health care systems, health financing and insurance, disease control and public health services, and medical services and hospital management.

The forum also served as the opening ceremony of the 2010 Advanced International Courses of Health Development and Reform in China.

In June 2005, the MOH, Harvard University and Tsinghua University signed a tripartite memorandum to carry out the China Senior Health Executive Training project together.

Huang said the project had trained more than 100 senior health care executives for China over the past five years.