On the afternoon of June 2nd, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on People-to-People Friendship Health Session was held in Wuhan. Participants from all walks of life, from home and abroad, reached consensus to deepen cooperation towards building a global community of health for mankind. Participants discussed on public health governance, high-quality development of medical services, disease prevention and control, international drug regulation and mutual recognition, and many other issues.
Hu Yu delivering a keynote speech
Hu Yu, dean of the Affiliated Union Hospital of HUST, delivered a keynote speech, introducing the practical experience of the Affiliated Union Hospital in promoting the high-quality development of medical services from three aspects: technology innovation, service innovation and cooperation innovation. Since the initiative of building a global community of health for mankind was put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping in March last year, the hospital has actively responded to it. The hospital has contributed wisdom in optimizing the diagnosis and treatment plan, participated in the formulation of international guidelines and conducted joint scientific research. Union Hospital’s experience in securing the victory of Covid-19 prevention and control has been shared with counterparts in 53 countries and regions - via more than 90 online exchanges. “Only through international cooperation and innovation can we forge a global community of health for mankind.” He further expressed that the Affiliated Union Hospital will leverage its role as “Double First-class” university to promote the high-quality development of medical services, strengthen technological innovation and talent training cooperation and work with counterparts from all over the world to cope with public health emergencies, thus safeguarding the future of mankind.
Huang Kai presiding at the session
The High-quality Development of Medical Services session was held by the Affiliated Union Hospital of HUST and presided over by vice dean Huang Kai. Through a video, Randy Scheckman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2013, said that the need for international scientific cooperation is urgent in the face of the ravaging pandemic. “We need to find medicines and methods to restrain COVID-19 and combat hard-to-treat diseases through cooperation”, he explained. Zhang Boli, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, shared the experience of pandemic prevention and control with traditional Chinese medicine via a video, recalling the unforgettable experience of the fight against the epidemic in Wuhan last year. Liu Qian, president of the China Hospital Association, believed that health cooperation has always been an important part of the SCO. Exchanges and cooperation between hospitals should be unblocked and three “green lanes” for management exchanges, technology cooperation and patient services should be established.
Randy Scheckman addressing the audience via video
More than 180 experts attended the meeting, including diplomatic envoys from Uzbekistan, Republic of Belarus, Azerbaijan and Mongolia, and scholars in the fields of public health, medical services, higher education and from enterprises. All participants agreed that the session is timely and highly relevant to the global challenges, and is important for our global efforts to fight against the virus.
SCO Forum on People-To-People Friendship is held by the Committee of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and People's Government of Hubei Province. On the afternoon of June 3rd, Tu Yuanchao, the convener of the Health Session and director of the Health Commission of Hubei Province, reported the achievements of the Sub-forum at the opening ceremony of the forum. Consensus has been reached on the plan of building a demonstration zone for regional health cooperation of the SCO and promoting experience of Hubei in health governance through the establishment of an alliance of regional disease control institutions and a regional health demonstration base. The Affiliated Union Hospital of HUST will actively participate in the establishment of the demonstration zone and mechanisms to promote cross-disciplinary exchanges and cooperation in multiple fields such as academic exchange, project research, personnel exchanges and student training.
Source: Union Hospital
Written by: Ren Jianwei
Edited by: Ma Shengyuan, Scott, PengYumeng
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