China-Pakistan cooperation in health sector reflects all-weather friendship: Expert

BEIJING.Nov.10(Gwadar Pro) - China-Pakistan cooperation in the health sector reflects a strong all-weather friendship bond and lays a base for China-Pakistan Health Corridor, says Pakistani health expert and President of China Pakistan Medical Association, Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz.

He told Gwadar Pro that the Belt and Road Initiative countries can join hands to be parts of the health corridor because a single country cannot manage the diverse and complex diseases, especially during the pandemic. He added that regional healthcare centers connected by telemedicine, 5G artificial intelligence, and big data are the need of the hour.

“I think during these years I have experienced and learned from China’s rise along with the latest technology and innovation in the medical field, from the use of artificial intelligence, big data, telemedicine, augmented and virtual reality, to robotics in medicine, nanotechnology and traditional medicine combined with western medicine,” he stated.

Shahbaz further said that China Pakistan Joint Drug Safety Lab in Xi’an Jiaotong University, China Medical University & King Edward University Sister University declaration, Pakistani Universities joined Belt & Road Medical Education Alliance, China Pakistan Traditional Medicine Alliance, China Pakistan Medical Association and Pakistan China Cancer Hospital in Islamabad are among many other projects that both countries are already cooperating on.

“Liver transplantation, cancer diagnosis and treatment, bone marrow transplant, neurology, pediatrics, infectious disease treatment, and digital medicine are key sectors of cooperation and Pakistani doctors have great opportunities to learn from China,” he mentioned.

"China Pakistan Friendship Hospital in Gwadar will be completed in December 2022 and it is equipped with modern facilities. The 68 acres of land will have six medical blocks and each block will have 50 beds. It will be a state-of-the-art facility in the area,” Shahbaz added.

He told Gwadar Pro that the Chinese and Pakistani governments need to establish a forum that has the authority and funds to realize the cooperation opportunities. International herbal medicine research centers could be established in major cities in Pakistan and China for TAM(Traditional & alternative Medicine) research, herbs collection, categorization, extraction of substances, and drug discovery.