More recently, China has also engaged in multilateral health initiatives in Africa through international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). China-Africa cooperation in health has been supported by the international community, said Ren.

In recent years, many NGOs and enterprises, such as the Brightness Action program, which is dedicated to offering free eyesight-restoring surgeries for cataract patients, have made contributions to China-Africa medical initiatives. During an eight-day trip in November 2010, 12 Chinese eye specialists operated on 612 cataract patients in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Co-sponsored by several NGOs and domestic enterprises, Brightness Action is the largest program of its kind in Africa. "They are pioneering a new model for China-Africa health cooperation, and more Chinese NGOs and companies should be encouraged to make use of their advantages and join this kind of program," said Wang Luo, Director of the Institute of International Development and Cooperation at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a research institution under China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

According to Wang, every year many African medical personnel and officials come to China and attend various training programs in infectious disease control, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), nursing, hospital management, rural health and health policy, which are run by MOFCOM's Academy for International Business Officials.

Traditional medicine is another area in which China has collaborated with Africa, with China providing TCM-based HIV/AIDS treatment to African patients.

"Several African health ministers have made proposals asking the Chinese Government to help them develop their traditional medicine," said Ren at the Fourth International Roundtable on China-Africa Health Collaboration held in Botswana this past May.

Since the China-Tanzania Cooperation Project of Using TCM to Treat Patients with HIV/AIDS was launched in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in 1987, over 60 Chinese TCM doctors have worked there, according to Professor Wang Jian, Deputy Director of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences' TCM Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment.

"Cooperation between local doctors and Chinese doctors has been strengthened to develop Tanzanian traditional herbs," said Wang. "To further promote those exchanges, more and more African students have come to Chinese universities to study TCM in recent years," he added.

Building capacity

Capacity building is another promising aspect of China-Africa health cooperation. To strengthen the sustainability of health care, Lucy Chen suggested that China provide more financial support and train more local medical specialists in order to strengthen local medical capacities.

"China plays a unique role in supporting Africa's health progress, drawing from its investments in health research and development and its experience improving the health of its own citizens, such as its current health reform effort, which is the largest expansion of healthcare coverage in history," Chen told ChinAfrica.

The Chinese Government has also increased the number of government scholarships available for training African health workers. Tsinghua University's Research Center for Public Health has recently created a one-year International Master of Public Health (IMPH) Program, which is specifically designed for public health officials, disease prevention and control specialists and health program managers.

"The program is designed to improve health conditions and achieve health equity in developing countries," said Jing Jun, head of the research center, adding that they are receiving applications and the program will start early next year. (application info available on www.chinafrica.cn)

Challenges ahead

Based on 50 years of Sino-African cooperation in health, Ren said it's high time for the two sides to work together to draft long-term health cooperation strategic plans and explore new forms of partnership. He hoped that the coming Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development, which will be held in Beijing on August 16, will provide a good opportunity. "To improve our services, future cooperation should be based on the needs of African countries and our own advantages," he said.

"Although there is an inter-ministerial coordinating commission, China does not have a comprehensive system for providing assistance, and this has affected medical assistance initiatives," said Dr. Li Anshan, Director of the Center for African Studies at Peking University.

Much is expected from the increased engagement of China's private sector and China can also learn from the experiences of its African counterparts in the health sector. "Chinese scientists also need to learn more from their African counterparts about the epidemics and common diseases in Africa," said Ren.

"In the field of epidemic control and prevention, especially HIV/AIDS, we can learn how some African countries control the disease by using civil society, NGOs and citizen participation," he said.

WHO and China-Africa Health Cooperation

By Sarah Barber, WHO Representative to South Africa and Dr. Eugene Nyarko, WHO Representative to Botswana

» Since the 1960s, the Government of China has been sending medical teams to countries across Africa, adhering to principles of equality, mutual benefit, sovereignty and self-reliance. These values were reaffirmed in 2006 under the China-Africa policy. Since then, China has expanded its cooperation with many African countries in education, science and technology, infrastructure, and humanitarian aid. In health, the Chinese Government is considering a shift from sending medical teams to establishing programs that achieve better health by addressing institutional and human resources constraints. There is a new emphasis on the synergies between commerce and health, revolving around the export of pharmaceuticals from China to Africa and partnerships for the local production of essential medicines. Such an expansion could contribute to reducing the burden of communicable diseases, maternal and child health problems, as well as the growing issue of non-communicable diseases.

» To be successful, it is essential that the Chinese Government carefully consider the needs and conditions of each African country, and support national health plans and goals. Strong regulations governing the export of medical products are needed to ensure the quality of medical products sent to African countries - particularly those with weak regulatory authorities. Given that there are no domestic institutions to implement cooperation projects and pilots, the Chinese Government can utilize its membership in the WHO and other multilateral agencies to establish trilateral partnerships and thus build synergies, increasing cooperation across the international community, and harmonizing its support. While an expansion of Chinese health support is welcome and needed, the process is equally important to ensure that such support contributes to better health and welfare for Africans.

Email us at:  liujian@chinafrica.cn