Novartis sponsors health initiative in Xinjiang

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http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-09/05/content_13615403.htm

Novartis sponsors health initiative in Xinjiang

Updated: 2011-09-05 07:54

By Lu Haoting (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)