China-Africa Health Cooperation 2018 Beijing Initiative
Build a healthy future with shared interests and responsibilities
China-Africa Health Cooperation 2018 Beijing Initiative
Build a healthy future with shared interests and responsibilities
17-18 August 2018
Beijing, China
The 2018 High Level Meeting on China and Africa Health Cooperation was held on 17-18th August 2018 in Beijing. Health Ministers from China, The Central African Republic, Mauritius, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Zambia, and representatives from XX African countries, WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS and other international organizations, attended the meeting, with a total of more than XXX participants.
Recalling the previous three China Africa Ministerial Conference on Health Development which were held respectively in Beijing 2013, Cape Town 2015 and Pretoria 2017,
Recognising the huge opportunities and potential of China-Africa health collaboration based on mutual learning and mutual respect, to increase and deepen the health collaboration to a new level that matches the ambition of our countries and the demands of our people,
Focusing on the theme “Deepen China-Africa Health Cooperation, and Jointly Build the Health Silk Road”, and guided by our commitment to the realization of Healthy China 2030, the Africa Health Strategy 2016-2030 as well as universal health coverage and the sustainable development goals,
We discuss and explore ways to enhance cooperation between China and Africa in the new era of cooperation.
China-Africa Cooperation in Public Health
We commit to further strengthening “China Africa Public Health Cooperation Plan” which was announced in Johannesburg Summit of the Forum of China Africa Cooperation in 2015 to build a strong and resilient public health surveillance and response system in Africa, through the support to African CDC and its regional hubs, and bilateral support to African countries. We agree to support the response to public health emergencies in Africa.
We encourage to establish a long-term communication mechanism through building a China-Africa public health network, ensuring effective liaison and an overall perspective on developments, facilitate the development of human resources, capacity building, exchanging and sharing information, experience, knowledge and expertise in main areas, and facilitate the development of infectious disease surveillance and laboratory networks.
We urge and support to launch new and re-emerging infectious diseases programme, malaria and schistosomiasis prevent and control programme in Africa, with substantial technical and financial support to the countries in great needs. We agree to promote cooperation in malaria and schistosomiasis elimination by localize Chinese expertise in targeting countries.
The SDG 2030 agenda incorporates a target on ending the long standing epidemics of HIV, TB and Malaria. Africa and China share common challenges in this area. We commit to strengthen our cooperation on HIV prevention, in particularly among young people and selected key populations. Africa and China commit to sharing experiences and expertise in this area including to make the best use Chinese technology and innovation.
China-Africa Cooperation in Hospital Management
We appreciate the 20-pair hospitals cooperation project between China and Africa, which focused on speciality cooperation. We encourage more support from both China government and African government to strengthen China Africa Friendship Hospitals and welcome to establish a mechanism which can improve the management of the Hospital and therefore improve the efficiency and quality of the medical services.
We call on the establishment of China-African Countries Hospital Cooperation Alliance, to continue and expand the cooperation between hospitals of China and Africa from each side, to increase medical and clinical technology transfer, improve the information systems, and encourage more personnel exchange.
We will, under the circumstance of mutual agreement, explore and encourage Chinese medical institutions and companies to partner with African entities in hospital operation. With joint investment and management, both sides will strive to make health and clinical service more accessible, development of hospitals more sustainable.
China-Africa Cooperation in Maternal and Newborn Health
We support national maternal, new-born and child health programmes in Africa through China-Africa South-South Cooperation, with a focus on solutions to address preventable causes of maternal and new-born death. Given that over 38% of the global 2.9 million new-born deaths occur in Sub-Sahara Africa and that most of these deaths are preventable, such cooperation is both urgent and important.
We vow to further enhance China-Africa South-South Cooperation through win-win partnerships to leverage all possible resources to improve maternal and new-born health in Africa. Build on the lessons learnt from China to accelerate results for children in Africa. While noting with satisfaction the increased collaboration in the years following the Cape Town Health Ministers meeting, we agree to continue to intensify collaboration and enhance these efforts.
We call upon the Co-Chairs of the upcoming 7th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to include maternal, new-born and child health as one of the key priorities to be addressed in the outcome document, and to commit themselves with dedicated resources to address the issue in the next China-Africa cooperation plan of action, as a substantive contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030.
China-Africa Cooperation in Medical Specialists Training
We, through effective and sufficient communication, have established friendships, expanded communication channels, and enhanced mutual understanding and reached consensus in the training of medical specialists.
We learned that the preliminary intention to provide technical assistance training for medical specialties such as ENT, neurosurgery, and cardiovascular disease interventional treatment in the related African countries have been built.
We call upon the establishment of medical specialist training programs and professional technical training programs, and built a solid foundation for the relevant cooperation in the future.
We urge to establish China Africa Medical Scholarship to provide training course for medical specialists.
China-Africa Cooperation in Health Industry and Medical Regulation
We support enhancing exchange and mutual trust between Chinese and African medical regulators, for a better mutual understanding of medical regulatory systems and a more solid foundation for cooperation.
We support the China-Africa cooperative research on medical regulation, including medical regulation systems, health service systems and demands, industry development and demands, as well as the data collection and platforms, in a bid to ensure and support China-Africa medical cooperation.
We call upon the World Health Organization and the African Union in formulating the medical manufacturing and market access standards which are applicable to Africa based on the characteristics, development level and practical needs of African countries.
We support to enhance Africa’s competence in medical regulation by means of joint training, personnel exchange, information system improvement and more.
We encourage Chinese enterprises to invest and build plants in Africa, localize the medical manufacturing, and unblock the circulation in the medical market. In this way, a growing number of more cost-effective and affordable medical products may be available in Africa or made in Africa, thus meeting basic health needs of African people to the greatest extent possible.
China-Africa Cooperation in Traditional Medicine
We propose to further enhance the traditional medicine cooperation between Africa and China to meet the heath demands of African people.
We committed to facilitate the traditional Chinese medicine treatment plan represented by artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) to play a key role in tackling epidemic diseases such as malaria in Africa; To carry out knowledge protection and sorting of traditional medicines as well as survey of medicinal plants resource in Africa;
We propose to share the successful experience of developing traditional medicines and promote and innovate the research, development and production of traditional medicine products; To encourage Chinese enterprises to produce Chinese medicine locally in Africa and support African enterprises to conduct traditional medicine cooperation in China.
Getting the implementation right
We commit to working together, and move forward and deepen our collaboration and in strong partnership with the World Health Organisation, other UN agencies, and international partners.
This initiative shall be submitted to the 2018 Beijing Summit Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.