Premier says the global effort to boost health will continue

Premier Li Keqiang has pledged that China will continue its participation in a global campaign for health promotion and will provide healthcare aid to other developing countries.

China has endorsed and promoted global cooperation in health and met its international responsibilities, the premier said during his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Ninth Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai on Nov 21 .

The conference, co-organized by the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the World Health Organization, included more than 1,200 participants from 126 countries and regions. It is held every four years to improve health and equality among people around the world.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first conference, at which the Ottawa Charter, which calls for peace, shelter, education, a sustainable ecosystem and social equality to enhance health, was passed.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan Fung Fuchun says health promotion requires participation by all countries and all departments.

Premier Li says that over more than five decades, China has sent more than 20,000 medical workers to 67 countries and regions. As a result, more than 260 million people around the world have received medical treatment, he adds.

After the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, China quickly sent more than 1,200 medical workers and public health experts to fight the virus in the region, contributing to the efforts that have overcome the epidemic, Li says.

"We will continue to actively participate in global health promotion and provide help to other developing countries within our capacity," he adds.

The premier also calls on other countries to coordinate their management of emergencies in coping with public health challenges, and to improve mechanisms for global disease monitoring, warning and emergency responses.

"The Chinese government supports the WHO to set up teams and funds for emergencies, and it calls on developed economies to enhance their support for developing countries," Li adds.

China has contributed much to global health promotion by sending doctors and nurses overseas, especially to Africa and other less-developed regions, says Liu Zhenghong, a professor of foreign aid at Anhui Normal University.

huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/25/2016 page15)