Secretary of State Matt Hancock visits China to promote innovative digital health solutions to shared challenges
The UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock is travelling to China on his first official overseas visit, where he will stop by Beijing and Tianjin, to highlight the importance of healthcare collaboration to the ‘Golden Era’ of bilateral relations.
The Secretary of State co-hosted the UK-China Health Dialogue with China’s Health Minister Ma Xiaowei.
In Beijing, the Secretary of State co-hosted the UK-China Health Dialogue with China’s Health Minister Ma Xiaowei. The two Ministers will drive forward collaboration in keeping people healthy for longer, early identification of serious illness through strengthening primary care.
The Ministers also discussed the need for good, well trained and dedicated health professionals in order to sustain world-leading health systems. The Health Secretary also discussed patient access to medicine and how to get the most cost-effective and clinically- effective therapies to patients quickly when he met with Minister Hu Jinglin of the National Healthcare Security Administration.
Additionally, the Ministers highlighted the UK and China’s shared interest in addressing global health issues such as pandemics and anti-microbial resistance (AMR). In early 2018, the UK and China committed two AMR funds to foster collaborative academic and industrial research to develop better clinical practice and products to tackle the growing microbial resistance to anti-biotics and the risk that poses globally.
The UK has one of the strongest and most productive health and life sciences industries in the world. While in China, the Secretary of State will also lead a UK business delegation to demonstrate UK expertise and innovations in life sciences, med-tech and digital health. In Tianjin, the Secretary of State will demonstrate UK leadership in the use of technology and data innovation in healthcare to a global audience while he co-chairs the World Economic Forum Meeting of New Champions.
Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care said:
I want the UK to have the most advanced healthcare system in the world, and this continued dialogue and co-operation with China will bring us one step closer to achieving that aim.
As global leaders, the UK and China must work closely together to tackle key emerging issues in healthcare like how we can harness the power of technology to help patients live longer, healthier and happier lives, the issues of an aging population, and the increasing resistance to antibiotics - there is much we can learn from each other to improve care for patients.