China, Africa agree on building resilient public health system

Source: Xinhua

Updated: 2015-10-07

  Representatives attend the Second Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development in Cape Town, South Africa, on Oct. 6, 2015. The ministers in charge of health affairs in China and African countries on Tuesday stressed the importance of establishing a resilient public health system in Africa, especially the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, both in the African Union, as well as in individual countries. The officials met in Cape Town for the 2nd Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

The Chinese side will also continue to send medical teams to work in Africa, and recruit 1,500 medical personnel in the next three years, the officials said.

China is willing to provide assistance and support in the establishment of the disease control and prevention systems at regional and country level to reinforce the surveillance, monitoring and response capacity of African countries to public health emergencies, said Li Bin, Minister of China's National Health and Family Planning Commission.

  Representatives pose for a group photo during the Second Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development in Cape Town, South Africa, on Oct. 6, 2015. The ministers in charge of health affairs in China and African countries on Tuesday stressed the importance of establishing a resilient public health system in Africa, especially the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, both in the African Union, as well as in individual countries. The officials met in Cape Town for the 2nd Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Representatives from African countries voiced willingness to provide the necessary support and enabling measures, including policy, planning and implementation, to facilitate the establishment.

The action plan encourages establishing cooperation mechanisms between medical institutions to form a hospital-to-hospital or institution-to-institution relationship, so as to promote exchanging experts, training courses, as well as technology exchange and transfer.

China will support 20 Chinese tertiary hospitals to work with their counterparts in Africa, to strengthen the capacity of clinic specialists in Africa.

Both sides recognize the important role of traditional medicine in people's health care, and will continue information exchange in this regard.

China and Africa are willing to share its experiences in regulating traditional medicine, and China is willing to support the training and the establishment of Traditional Medicine Clinics in African countries, upon the demand of African countries, according to the Action Plan.

In the action plan, the Chinese side pledged to encourage 10 large Chinese pharmaceutical and medical equipment enterprises to cooperate with African counterparts, through measures such as technology transfer, in the production, maintenance and distribution of quality pharmaceutical products and medical equipment in African countries.

Special Report:The 2nd Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Cooperation