The 2nd Annual Conference of the Chinese Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CCUGH) held at Duke Kunshan University on Oct. 14 ‘ 15 has opened a new page in international efforts to address global health issues in China and beyond. Hosted by Duke Kunshan University and co-organized by Fudan University, Sun Yat-Sen University and Wuhan Univeristy, the conference was centered around the theme: ‘Advancing Health Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in China and Globally: Working Together to Meet Challenges.’ Around 240 delegates from 13 countries came together to discuss and discover the most cutting-edge ways to implement health-related SDGs in the next 15 years.
Building on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2000, the United Nation’s new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) embody a one-health strategy under a single goal, Goal 3 ‘ ‘ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages,’ the only goal that explicitly addresses health, albeit a few other goals being associated, directly or indirectly, with health development, such as some targets in Goal 2 and 5. Although the world has witnessed remarkable progress in achieving the health-related MDGs in China during the past 15 years, pressing challenges still lie ahead.
More than 200 participants from China and 12 other countries attended the annual conference
At the two-day conference, renowned scholars and experts from academia, government, funding agencies and other health-related organizations approached those challenges from different angles, and offered their own advice on how China could achieve the health SDGs through global partnerships and collaboration. Speakers covered a wide range of areas key to achieving the goals, including child and maternal nutrition and health, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), emerging infectious diseases, environmental health and climate changes, and health system strengthening.
‘I’m excited to see that this conference has brought together global health leaders from China, Africa and around the world. It represents a valuable opportunity to strengthen China’s capacity in global health development and offers Chinese researchers a window into what’s happening abroad,’ said Dr. Dean Jamison, a notable economist and professor emeritus of global health at University of California, San Francisco and the University of Washington in Seattle. ‘The conference provides a platform for the academic world to better work with colleagues abroad as well as the Chinese government.’
Prof. Dean Jamison delivered the keynote speech on “Disease Control Priorities and Essential Universal Health Coverage”
Strengthening China’s Health System
A side product of globalization, the accelerating spread of infectious diseases is calling for better disease control policies to cope with ongoing outbreaks of emerging diseases. Qinghua He, deputy director of Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, National Health and Family Planning Commission, provided an overview of the basic policy framework for infectious disease control in China. He pointed out that the key to successful infectious disease control lies in the synergy between protection of the susceptible population, and control of the source and channel of infection. He said, ‘China’s infectious disease prevention and control system has already been recognized by international health organizations and developed countries.’ He also emphasized that China’s healthcare system and policies are profoundly shaped by the country’s economy, and should only be discussed against the backdrop of China’s economic prospects.
Dr. Qinghua He talked about the policy framework of infectious diseases control in China
Building on He’s speech, Jiahui Zhang, division director of the Research Department of Social Development at Development Research Center of the State Council offered some recommendations to further enhance China’s infectious disease control framework. She started her presentation with a comprehensive review of the existing problems in the healthcare system, and provided several suggestions for future improvement. ‘The preference of medical treatment over prevention in the health sector can be a big problem, and patients are still facing a heavy financial burden. While we strive to enhance the medical insurance scheme to improve the accessibility of treatment, we should also educate people about the importance of disease prevention,’ said Zhang.
Achieving the Health SDGs: Challenges and Opportunities
‘China is facing many daunting challenges to improving the health of its people in the years to ahead. We could miss many of the health SDG targets set out by UN, unless the Chinese government makes radical changes in health policies,’ Dr. Shenglan Tang, professor at Duke Kunshan University and Duke University, director of the Global Health Research Center at Duke Kunshan University, expressed his concern over the question of ‘whether China can achieve all health SDGs by 2030’ at the closing plenary session of the conference. He noted that several emerging problems, including non-communicable diseases, mental diseases and road safety problems could become the major bump on China’s road to achieving the SDGs. A bright spot, however, is that the Chinese government’s strong commitment to health development may play a very positive role in solving the problems.
Prof. Shenglan Tang delivered the keynote speech on “China’s Challenges in Achieving the Health SDGs”
Lessons from other countries can also be valuable in overcoming those formidable challenges. Drawing upon his knowledge of healthcare systems and reforms of various Asian countries, Soonman Kwon, chief of Health Sector Group at the Asian Development Bank, presented case studies of the different health insurance schemes adopted by Thailand, Korea and Japan to inform the development of healthcare financing system in China. ‘What we have now in China is a weak primary healthcare system that is centered around profit-driven public hospitals. But what we need to achieve universal healthcare is an efficient, primary health-care-centered health system, and a unified health insurance system,’ Kwon concluded his speech with this appeal to the policy makers in China’s health sector.
Dr. Soonman Kwon talked about international experiences to achieve universal health coverage
China’s Engagement in Global Health Development
According to Prof. Dean Jamison, China’s contribution to global health development can be traced back to the ’90s, a time much earlier than many people perceived. When China joined the World Bank in 1978, Jamison was assigned to analyze China’s progress in health and nutrition. In his keynote speech, Jamison cited detailed data to illustrate the steady growth of life expectancy and decline of infant mortality rate in China and praised China’s successful intervention policies in the health sector. ‘Published in 1993, the first edition of Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries (DCP1), a report that has had a wide impact on global health development, was strongly influenced by the World Bank’s China Health Sector Report,’ said Jamison.
As the national healthcare system and medical technologies improved over the last 20 years, China has transitioned from a health aid recipient to a health aid donor. An expert in South-South Cooperation, Zhou Xiaonong, director of National Institute of Parasitic Diseases of China’s CDC, gave a brief introduction to the strategies in China-Africa cooperation in endemic countries. As Zhou pointed out, China has already launched a bunch of successful global health pilot projects in Africa by ‘distilling’ Chinese experiences and tailoring the experiences into local settings.
Dr. Xiaonong Zhou talked about ending neglected tropic diseases to achieve the health SDGs
About CCUGH
The Chinese Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CCUGH) is a network of Chinese universities that are committed to advancing the development of global health research and education. The CCUGH aims to build interdisciplinary collaborations and facilitate the sharing of knowledge among Chinese member universities to address global health challenges. It assists members in sharing their expertise across education, research, and service. CCUGH promotes mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships among member universities, developing human capital and strengthening institutions’ capabilities to address these challenges.
