The China Health Policy Support Project was launched in Beijing
yesterday by the Ministry of Health, the UK Department for
International Development (DFID) and the WHO, aiming to help China
enhance its ability to develop health policies and build an
efficient and equitable health system.
Minister of Health Gao
Qiang hoped it would "enhance the research and policy making
ability of the Chinese health department."
According to the ministry, during the 4-year span of the project
the DFID will provide 6 million pounds (US$10.8 million) in
subsidies -- 4.8 million pounds to the government and 1.2 million
to the WHO.
The project's focus will be enhancing human capacity building by
means such as training and forums for decision makers, said Liu
Xinmin, a health ministry official.
Gao said bilateral and multilateral exchanges and cooperation in
health are more urgent than ever as contagious diseases pose new
threats to humankind in the process of economic and trade
globalization.
The minister spoke highly of cooperation in the health with the
UK over the past few years, saying "a number of cooperation
projects have been carried out or launched, and in particular, it
has yielded remarkable progress in raising funds for AIDS control
and healthcare for the poor population, and the development of
community healthcare services."
The DFID is an agency of the UK government responsible for
helping developing countries eliminate extreme poverty. Its Beijing
office was established in July 2003.
(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2005)