Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Sakhawat Husain has called on China’s Hainan province to invest in Bangladesh’s healthcare sector to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
He made the call on Tuesday during a meeting with senior officials of Hainan province at the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in China.
Feng Fei, Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Xie Jing, Vice Governor of Hainan Province, attended the meeting.
The minister said Bangladesh wants to further expand mutual cooperation in healthcare by leveraging the strong bilateral relations between Bangladesh and China.
He said the government is giving the highest priority to primary healthcare and has planned to establish 20 large hospitals across different regions of the country.
“We are expecting technical assistance and training support from China for establishing these hospitals,” he said.
The meeting discussed scholarships for Bangladeshi medical students, doctor exchange and training programmes, prevention of tropical diseases and cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine.
The two sides also discussed Bangladesh’s initiatives and challenges in tackling diseases including breast cancer, measles, dengue and thalassaemia.
Seeking Chinese investment, Sardar Sakhawat said Hainan-based industrial enterprises could establish factories in Bangladesh to manufacture essential medical supplies, including gloves, masks and blood bags.
He said such investment would help meet domestic demand while creating opportunities to export surplus products.
Hainan officials assured cooperation in facilitating visits by Bangladeshi doctors, medical education and training programmes, as well as exploring investment opportunities in Bangladesh.
Both sides expressed optimism about expanding cooperation in the health sector.
The Bangladesh delegation included the minister’s private secretary ABM Iftakharul Islam Khandaker, Health Services Division Deputy Secretary Fatema-Tuz-Zohra Thakur, Bangladesh Embassy in China Commercial Counsellor Md Ziaur Rahman and Malisha Group General Manager Maruf Mulla.
