What the Doctor Ordered

　　The Fourth InternationalRoundtable onChina-Africa Health Collaboration, held in Gaborone,Botswana this May, marked the jubileecelebration of continued and sustained growth inhealth partnerships between the two sides.

　　The roundtable meeting was the first of its kindto be hosted in Africa, a move made to promoteand strengthen the South-South partnership. Thispartnership draws on China’s medical expertise tojointly tackle critical health issues like HIV/AIDS,malaria, reproductive health, access to life-savingvaccines and treatment of non-communicable diseases.

　　Representatives at the meeting developedjoint recommendations for a long-term strategicChina-Africa health cooperation plan. These recommendationswill be considered at the MinisterialForum of China-Africa Health Development duringthe Sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC),which will be held this August, in Beijing.

　　China’s medical aid to Africa hasincluded helpwith health personnel, infrastructure, diseasecontrol and scholarships for training health experts.

　　More recent aid has included the BrightnessAction, a program that provides free treatmentfor those suffering from cataracts. China launchedthis program at the Fifth FOCAC Ministerial Conference,which was held last year. Cooperationwith China has enabled many African countriesto achieve long-term, sustainable gains,such as strengthening their health systems, addressinghealthcare worker shortages and implementingpublic health policies.

　　The Chinese Ambassador to Kenya,Liu Guangyuan, while speaking in Nairobilast September at an internationalconference on China-East Africa Cooperationin Pharmaceuticals and HealthDevices, said medical and healthcareassistance are priorities in China’s aidto African countries. He also stated thatChina had sent about 20,000 medicalworkers to 46 African countries as ofthe end of 2011.

　　Since the First FOCAC Summit washeld in Beijing in 2006, China has builtseveral hospitals and provided large quantities ofmedical equipment and supplies to many Africancountries. The East African Community (EAC) is akey export destination for China’s pharmaceuticalindustry.

　　The healthcare industry hasweathered theglobal financial crisis and maintained steadygrowth. In recent years, as emerging markets,China and Africa have developed rapidly andstrengthened their strategic partnership and opendialogue.

　　Economic indicators published by theKenyan National Bureau of Statistics inMay 2013 show that healthcare tradebetween China and East Africa grew by 20percent annually, amounting to $145 millionin 2012. This was confirmed by the ChineseChamber of Commerce for the Import andExport of Medicine and Health Products(CCCMHPIE) report from March 2013,which showed that the value of medicalproducts exported from China to Africafrom January-September 2012, totaled$1.47 billion. The report said that overthe past decade, health trade betweenChina and Africa increased 10-fold to$1.84 billion in 2011, making AfricaChina’s important trading partner in themedical sector.

　　“East Africa is one of most regular beneficiariesof China’s medical and health cooperation withAfrica. For example, in recent years, pharmaceuticaltrade volume between China and Kenya hasincreased by over 20 percent every year, makingKenya China’s sixth largest pharmaceutical tradepartner in Africa,” said Dr. Stanley Sonoiya, thePrincipal Health Officer at the EAC Secretariat.

　　Chinese quality

　　Through years of development, the structureof Chinese pharmaceutical industry has beenadvanced, and is continuing forward, improvingmanufacturing standards and raising productioncapacities.

　　Dr. Dhirendra Shah, Chairman of the Federationof East African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers,said that many quality medical products importedfrom China, ranging from traditional medicinesand herbal extracts to medical dressings and diagnosticdevices, have received a warm welcomeon the global market. He said that, as the world’sthird largest pharmaceutical market, Africa is amajor beneficiary of Chinese development andsuccess in medical fields.

　　China produces high quality pharmaceuticalproducts at much lower costs than developedcountries. Low-price and affordable Chinese drugsare a better choice for Africa, as the continentseeks to cut its healthcare expenditures. PaulMwaniki, Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Societyof Kenya (PSK), said Chinese pharmaceutical companiesexport high-quality, low-cost health productsto Africa, and ensures that these productsare safe and meet international quality standards.Mwaniki said rigorous quality control systems area major feature of Chinese drug development,manufacturing, inspection and distribution.

　　Many Chinese pharmaceutical companies havealready been granted quality certificates fromthe European Union, the United States and otherdeveloped countries. “Much of China’s healthassistance is used to expand Africa’s capacityto be self-sufficient and boost its own economicdevelopment. China is supporting Africa’s healthprogress through its investments in health researchand development,” said Meng Dongping,Vice Chairperson of CCCMHPIE, also speakingat the Conference on China-East Africa Cooperationin Pharmaceuticals and Health Devices lastSeptember.

　　Meng said the Chinese Government attachesgreat importance to drug safety. To safeguardpublic health, China enforces strict manufacturingand licensing rules, achieving drug safety throughregularly conducted and thorough inspections, aswell as the imposition of stern penalties for violations.

　　In order to provide African consumers withreliable products, CCCMHPIE has established awebsite (www.cnmed.com.cn) where it publisheslists of approved Chinese pharmaceutical enterprisesand their products. The chamber is alsoworking on a product catalogue to make thingsmore convenient for African clients.

　　Chinese traditions

　　Sino-African health cooperation has also begun toinclude traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Thisancient school of medical knowledge is consideredparticularly helpful in Sub-Saharan Africa,where an estimated 80 percent of the populationdepends on indigenous medicines as their primaryform of health care.

　　Dr. Esther Matu, a senior researcher atthe Kenya Medical Research Institute, said Chineseherbal medicines have been used for manypurposes, including treating victims of poisoning,malaria, kidney diseases and stomach pain, as wellas dressing wounds and boosting the appetites ofpeople living with HIV/AIDS. However, some expertswarn that traditional medicines are sometimespoorly packaged and that patients must becareful to ensure that medicines are not out ofdate, and that they are clear on the correct dosageof any medicines they take.

　　The success of Chinese herbal medicines inAfrica has aroused interest in increasing fundingfor scientific research on the uses and effectsof these medicines. Matu said that traditional Chineseherbal medicines have played a prominentrole in containing and treating acute diseasesin Africa. She said that, like China, many Africancountries can benefit from increased research ontraditional herbal medicines.

　　By George Okore