U.S., China Announce Public-Private Healthcare Partnership

With the State Visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States on Wednesday, several U.S. government entities joined with China’s Ministries of Health and Commerce in support of a new public-private partnership in the healthcare sector.

Initially, 12 U.S. companies and six supporting organizations will participate in this partnership, alongside the supporting U.S. and Chinese Government agencies. The partnership will be organized around U.S. healthcare industry strengths and government capabilities in order to foster long-term cooperation with China in the areas of research, training, regulation, and the adoption of an environment that will increase accessibility to healthcare services in China.

Participating U.S. companies initially include 3M, Abbott, Chindex, Cisco, General Electric, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Microsoft, Motorola, and Pfizer. Supporting organizations include AdvaMed, the Alliance for Healthcare Competitiveness, the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, PhRMA, and the U.S.-China Business Council.

“The economic and social development of any nation depends on the health and productivity of its people,” said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “This partnership builds on a strong foundation of bilateral cooperation in this critical sector of our economies.”

Through programs supported by the initiative, Chinese participants will gain greater access to U.S. private sector expertise and ingenuity and better awareness of new technologies and results-oriented regulatory processes. Initially, these goals will be advanced through a U.S.-funded Healthcare Professional Personnel Exchange Program that will include a series of visits by Chinese healthcare officials to the United States to share best practices and witness new and innovative technologies important to long-term healthcare delivery.

According to an HHS release, the partnership will enhance cooperation in areas such as rural healthcare, emergency response, personnel training, medical information technology, and management systems; while also exploring ways to support other fields such as integrative and traditional Chinese medicine. These programs will enhance both countries’ knowledge of best practices, management, technological developments, and other healthcare-related topics.