China-Africa Health Development Initiatives: Benefits and Implications for Shaping Innovative and Evidence-informed National Health Policies and Programs in Sub-saharan African Countries

Abstract

Background and Introduction:This review paper examines the growing implications of China’s engagement in shaping innovative national initiatives against infectious diseases and poverty control and elimination in African countries. It seeks to understand the factors and enhancers that can promote mutual and innovative health development initiatives, and those that are necessary in generating reliable and quality data for evidence-based contextual policy, priorities and programs.Methods:We examined the China-Africa health cooperation in supporting global health agenda on infectious diseases such as malaria, schistosomiasis, Ebola, TB, HIV/AIDS, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) prevention, control and elimination spanning a period of 10 years. We reviewed referenced publications, global support data, and extensive sources related to and other emerging epidemics and infectious diseases of poverty, programs and interventions, health systems development issues, challenges, opportunities and investments. Published literature in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Books and web-based peer-reviewed journal articles, government annual reports were assessed from the first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in November 2006 to December 2015 Third Ministerial conferences.Results:Our findings highlight current shared public health challenges and emphasize the need to nurture, develop and establish effective, functional and sustainable health systems capacity to detect and respond to all public health threats and epidemic burdens, evidence-based programs and quality care outcomes. China’s significant health diplomacy emphasizes the importance of health financing in establishing health development commitment and investment in improving the gains and opportunities, importantly efficiency and value health priorities and planning.Conclusions and Global Health Implications:Strengthening China-Africa health development agenda towards collective commitment and investment in quality care delivery, effective programs coverage and efficiency, preparedness and emergency response is needed in transforming African health information systems, and local health governance structures and management in emerging epidemics. Furthermore, innovative evidence of operational joint solutions and strategies are critical in advancing healthcare delivery, and further enhancing Universal Health Care, and Sustainable Development Goals to attain global health improvements and economic prosperity.

China's Belt and Road Initiative: Incorporating public health measures toward global economic growth and shared prosperity

“…The 65-plus integrated countries account for approximately 40% of global gross domestic product (GDP). [1][2][3][4] With this aim in mind, China has already injected 40 billion USD worth of initial funds, with private investors setting up funds with an initial capital sum of 30 billion CNY in March 2017 to support the consortia of projects under this initiative. 1 The initiative held significant commercial, trading, and health potential -for the country and the involved partners in particular-in sustainable infrastructure, geo-economic influence and integration of bilateral and multilateral trade, health and education empowerment of the modern world, skills transfer, and innovation uptake and development.…”

Impact evaluation of schistosomiasis control into elimination interventions models in P. R. China and Africa

“…Also, novel integrated surveillance-response systems implementation for early and rapid detection assessment of threat or outbreak can enhance cost-effectiveness management and national schistosomiasis priorities. Contemporary genomic data mining in forecasting and modeling provide new opportunities in unraveling new point of care and reliable diagnostics, safe and efficacious drug and vaccine in schistosomiasis elimination [99,101,102,103]. Moreover understanding climatic and environmental interactions and impact is needed.…”

“…Sustainability of local strategies towards interrupting schistosomiasis transmission elimination also requires improving sanitation by supplying clean drinking water and improving WASH approach in remote rural communities/ dwellings including intensive health education a continuous awareness and resilience [2,15,29,[93][94][95]. Moreover, to nurture schistosomiasis ownership and reinforcement of public-private partnership and collaboration including the local community in sustained funding support from government and international organizations and development of disease resilience culture are proactive and efficient ways in revamping the persistent morbidity and mortality of this diseases China and mainly in sub-Saharan Africa [3,5,19,96,[99][100][101][102].…”

China s Rapid Economic Transformation and the Active Changes of its African Policy

“…The training sessions covered the field of foreign affairs, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, medicine, manufacturing, healthcare, inspection and quarantine, climate change, industry, public management, energy, and social security (Shoko, 2016). Also, Chinese medical teams, agricultural experts, and enterprises situated in Africa have trained local people in an effort to enhance local technological capabilities and upgrading China-Africa cooperation in science and technology (Tambo et al, 2016). In the 5 th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Chinese government announced "African Talents Program" to train 30,000 African professionals in various sectors such as agriculture, industry, economic infrastructure, public facilities, education and medical and healthcare, with the intent on improving African nations' industrial and agricultural productivity, laying a solid foundation for their economic and social development, and improving basic education and healthcare.…”

“…Based on these increased numbers, the Chinese government placed particular emphasis on the 'quality' of its training Also, China's investment in Africa is having a positive impact on research; one example to support this fact is China's African Talent program. The program has trained 30,000 Africans in various fields as well as given 66 African researchers the chance to do post-doctoral research in China and donated 150,000 Yuan ($24,000) worth of research equipment to each of the 24 researchers who had returned to their home countries to work upon completing their joint research projects in China (Tambo et al, 2016). Another comprehensive example of the change in China's assistance towards the African nation is evident in how the Chinese government now applies a win-win situation when offering assistance to African nations instead of the traditional presents (Anshan, 2007).…”