Novartis sponsors health initiative in Xinjiang

StephenW

Novartis sponsors health initiative in Xinjiang Updated: 2011-09-05 07:54 By Lu Haoting (China Daily)

Healthcare professionals from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region receive training on hepatitis B diagnosis and treatment in Urumqi. The two-year program is part of the Health Express project launched by Novartis to help the local government improve healthcare standards in the region. Provided to China Daily

Project trains youths in hygiene, first aid and doctors in hepatitis B
URUMQI - To most drug companies, donating medicines may be the most convenient way to implement corporate social responsibility initiatives.
But Swiss healthcare company Novartis AG has chosen a more time-consuming way to help the local government address basic healthcare needs in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The Jian Kang Kuai Che, or "Health Express", project, which involves a total investment of more than 10 million yuan ($1.57 million) a year, provides hygiene and health information to students, healthcare professionals and patients in the comparatively economically underdeveloped region.
"We want to have a sustainable and long-term project in Xinjiang. We try to provide healthcare information to children and healthcare professionals there in a fair way, rather than just promoting our drugs as the best solutions for them," said Yi Min, president of Novartis China.
A major part of the project is raising health awareness and promoting a healthy lifestyle among students by educating them on personal hygiene in order to prevent common diseases and reduce the likelihood of sickness.
50,000 students
Since May 2010, the Health Express has driven more than 5,000 kilometers to more than 100 schools in five counties, namely Awaiti, Hotan, Lop, Toksun and Piqan. More than 50,000 students have attended the health education program.
"We held a range of activities, such as lectures, contests and games, to help students of different ages develop a healthy lifestyle and improve their health knowledge," said Zhou Meng, a healthcare educator in Piqan. Zhou is one of the 18 healthcare educators employed by Novartis for the project.
"When the students go home, they can pass this information to their parents and grandparents. For as long as they can use this in their lives, we will have accomplished the goal of this project," Zhou said.
For primary school students, the education focuses on hygiene habits, while middle school students learn basic lifesaving skills in cases such as fire and electric shock.
Another part of the project is training healthcare professionals in Xinjiang about hepatitis B treatment.
Novartis launched the training program in March and has earmarked 6 million yuan for the project, which will train 250 infectious-disease physicians in more than 100 above-county-level hospitals in Xinjiang over two years.
"The infectious-disease department has not received enough attention in many hospitals in Xinjiang. For example, it should own a separate building. But in many county-level hospitals, it is just part of the internal medicine department," said Zhou Jun, project leader of the Health Express program.
"There is also a shortage of infectious-disease physicians in Xinjiang, with only 250 available to care for a population of 20 million," Zhou said.
The training focuses on hepatitis B treatment, as the disease is endemic in China, Zhou said. China has at least 20 million chronic hepatitis B patients, according to the Ministry of Health, and it has become one of the top three infectious diseases in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The program not only provides systematic training in hepatitis B diagnosis and treatment, but also requires each physician to lecture patients about treatment of the chronic disease.
"This is the first time for me to receive systematic training on hepatitis B in almost 20 years," said Gong Weijin, a physician at the People's Hospital of Changji Hui autonomous prefecture of Xinjiang.
Novartis' efforts came on the back of the central government's massive support for improving the healthcare level in Xinjiang. The central government assigned 19 better-developed provinces and municipalities in 2009 to provide funds, technology and training for their partners in Xinjiang to help improve the region's medical infrastructure. More than 4.2 billion yuan has been invested in the region during the past two years.
"The Chinese name of our company is Nuo Hua, which stands for 'commitment to China'. The Health Express program is part of our commitment to improving healthcare standards in China," Yi said.
Novartis had invested more than $700 million in the Chinese mainland by the end of 2010. It currently employs more than 5,000 people in the country.
China Daily

(China Daily 09/05/2011 page22)