BEIJING, March 27 (People's Daily Online) – The 5th International Roundtable on China-Africa Health Collaboration is held in Beijing on March 26, 2015. The roundtable serves as an important platform for both sides to strengthen cooperation in health care, said Ren Minghui, Director-General of Department of International Cooperation, National Health and Family Planning Committee of China.

The subject of the roundtable is “contributing to universal health coverage & expanding access to essential medicines” and its discussion topics are “the road to universal health coverage”, “expanding market access to essential medicines”, “contribution of traditional medicine to universal health coverage” and “enterprises’ involvement in expanding health coverage”.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said recently that China would strength health cooperation with Africa and help it to improve ability to prevent plague and disaster. Obviously, China attaches importance to its health cooperation with Africa, said Ren.

Africa has made progress in improving its health care system, said Delanyo Dovlo, Director of Health Systems and Services Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa. Mortality rate for African children under five years fell 48 percent from 1990 to 2013 and its malaria mortality, death related to HIV all significantly decreased in past decade. He also expressed thanks to China for contribution to African health improvement.

“African countries are still confronted with serve challenges,” said Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, Commissioner of Social Affairs of African Union. Half of the 6.3 million children under five years old who died in 2013 are from Arica. 2.9 million African young people carry HIV in 2013. Kaloko said that he expect Africa to expand health coverage via cooperation with China.