Prof. Yin Hui, a teacher at Peking University, China, has advocated adequate investment in capacity building of people in rural areas to ensure sustainable health systems.
Yin, an Assistant Professor and Assistant-Director, Department of Global Health at the Chinese University, gave the advice in an interview with Newsmen in Beijing.
She spoke on the sidelines of a lecture titled: “How to design the structure and roles of different actors, to realize global health security and health equity”, organised under the auspices of China Africa Press Centre (CAPC) Programme 2022.
Yin said, “I think health system strengthening is key, not only in this COVID-19 prevention control, but also from the 2013 Ebola spread, at that time we realised the importance of health systems.
“When you do not have human resources for healthcare service, when you do not have doctors and nurses, you can do nothing.
“If you have drugs, you have vaccines, but you do not have nurses to take precaution it is useless; health system strengthening is the infrastructure that builds foundation of future programmes.”
Yin, also TFI Consultant, WHO China Office, commended China’s collaboration with Africa had been mutual, saying African partners helped China during the first case of pandemic in the country.
She said that after the Ebola outbreak the Chinese Centre for Disease Control (CDC) started the collaboration in Ethiopia, to build the African CDC.
“Currently, it is in the process of African CDC construction and it is a good start of capacity building for communicable disease monitoring and laboratory capacity establishment.
“To test and monitor different parts of the African region and share information or share the research and development on the innovation with the African countries.
“I think the African CDC will play a good role in transferring or bridging the experiences with African countries and the other parts of the world, including China.
“Another aspect I want to mention is that literally, China’s health cooperation comes from the need or request from our partners; we will fully respect their need and their requests.
“So, if they say perhaps we need more doctors, then I think China would like to send medical doctors there and if they say we need more drugs or vaccines, we will provide vaccines,” she added.
She reiterated that local needs remained the focus for collaboration in respective ways, adding that if countries or partners say they do not need such a thing, China would not go there to do things.
“Capacity building through health systems is the key point, also how to maintain the health system locally matters.
“If you have hospitals, you have the laboratory, you will definitely need the local people to work there, so the key is capacity building for local people, then they can work sustainably there.
“Using other international staff or colleagues working there to always go back is not sustainable, some Chinese or other country experts can visit there and work closely with the local people.
“Majority of the human resource personnel should be the local people, their working together will enable them to develop capacity in the local system.
“Then, after we leave the system the local people can work sustainably in the health systems themselves and that is a sustainable way to build a resilient health system and the key is the people,” Yin said.
No fewer than 90 Journalists from 67 countries across Africa, Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, are participating in the programme, which began in June.
The programme, which is being hosted by the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA), is expected to end in November. (NAN