Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain has called for further expansion of mutual cooperation in Bangladesh’s health sector, building on the existing excellent bilateral relations with China. Bangladesh has sought technical and financial assistance from China in establishing new hospitals, training doctors and manufacturing medical equipment as part of the government’s healthcare development plan.
The health minister made the call at a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Hainan provincial administration at the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan Province, China, on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Feng Fei, Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Communist Party Committee, and Shiye Jing, Vice Governor.
20 major hospitals and training cooperation The Health Minister said that the current government is giving top priority to primary healthcare to improve the quality of the country’s overall healthcare. To this end, a master plan has been undertaken to establish 20 major hospitals in different regions of the country. Bangladesh is expecting advanced technological assistance and skilled technical assistance from China in the implementation of these hospitals.
The bilateral meeting discussed in detail the provision of special scholarships by the Chinese government to Bangladeshi medical students, exchange of experienced doctors, professional training, prevention of tropical diseases and joint institutional cooperation in ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine’. In addition, Bangladesh’s current challenges in controlling infectious diseases such as measles, dengue, thalassemia and difficult non-communicable diseases such as breast cancer were highlighted.
Calling for Chinese investment in the medical equipment sector, the Health Minister called for Chinese industrialists to invest in Bangladesh, saying, “Hainan-based health-industrial enterprises can set up manufacturing plants or factories in Bangladesh to produce various daily-use medical devices and materials, including surgical gloves, face masks, blood bags.” This will not only meet the huge demand of the domestic market in Bangladesh, but also open new doors for exporting these products abroad.
Top officials of Hainan Province assured the meeting that they will work sincerely on the possibility of Bangladeshi doctors visiting China, joint medical education programs, and investment in the medical manufacturing sector.
The high-level meeting was attended by Deputy Secretary of the Health Department Fatima-Tuz-Zohra Thakur, Commercial Counselor of the Bangladesh Embassy in China Md. Ziaur Rahman, and General Manager of the technology company Malisha Group Maruf Mollah.
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