Background of US-PRC government cooperation in health: descriptive study and workshop on health services research in Shanghai County.

Abstract

The recent history of a formal relationship between the governments of the Peoples Republic of China and the U.S. dates from 1979. The signing of an Agreement on Cooperation in Science Technology on January 31 1979 was followed rapidly by negotiations for a cooperative program in health. The Protocol for cooperation in the Science and Technology of Medicine and Public Health was signed in June 1979. The Protocol for cooperation in health specified the subject areas in which cooperative activities would be undertaken initially and it established a Joint Committee for Cooperation in Medicine and Public Health. This Committee was to be the mechanism whereby the 2 countries would determine the policies and procedures for carrying out the cooperative program and would be responsible for its financing and for subsequent changes in the subject areas for cooperation. Cooperative activities have proceeded vigorously. The richness of the cooperative relationship was enhanced by Minister Qian Zin-Zhongs visit to the U.S. in June 1980. During this visit Minister Qian stated that his government wanted to accelerate and expand the cooperative program in health. Subject to review by the Joint Committee the decision was made at the time to extend cooperative activities into 3 new areas: foods and drugs mental health and reproductive physiology and family planning techniques. The next major event in the cooperative program was the Second Meeting of the Joint Committee held in Tianjin during November 1980. The Joint Committee approved plans for cooperation in the 10 areas including a major new initiative in Health Services Research. In the interim between the lst meeting of the Joint Committee in June 1979 and the November 1980 meeting the idea was developed that comparative studies of primary health care in selected geographical areas of the 2 countries would be instructive. 2 sites were selected for preliminary visits 1 site near Shanghai and the other in Ye County Shandong Province. A plan emerged for a cooperative descriptive study of health services in Shanghai County. Before the descriptive study was carried out a series of planning meetings at different levels was called. The information obtained for the descriptive study includes historical and current data from the Shanghai County Bureau of Health as well as data from special surveys of the outcomes of pregnancy the fertility patterns of women in 1 commune and the use of health services in factories. A household survey was conducted to assess patterns of illness and use of health services. The workshop summarizing the descriptive study was held at the Shanghai First Medical College in July 1981.