The Outline of Healthy China initiative and international health cooperation

1. Basic Teaching Information

2. Course Introduction

The main objective of this course is to introduce China’s healthy initiative that aims to reach goals three of the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Agenda initiated in 2015. In the Healthy China Initiative, international health cooperation is an important part that China plays an important role in the international platform. Therefore, the following lectures will invite several lecturers to give talks in multiple international health cooperation themes, including different types of health issues, international health cooperation projects conducted in Middle- and Low-Income countries.

Lecture 1- Global economic burden of mental health disorder

This lecture will discuss the prevalence and impact of mental health disorders on individuals, families, communities, and economies worldwide. This may include discussing the economic costs associated with mental health disorders, such as healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, and reduced quality of life. Secondly, the lecture may explore the social and economic determinants of mental health, including factors such as poverty, inequality, and social exclusion, and how these contribute to the global burden of mental health disorders. Lastly, the lecture may highlight interventions, policies, and strategies aimed at addressing the economic burden of mental health disorders, including prevention, early intervention, and access to mental health care, as well as the potential economic benefits of investing in mental health promotion and treatment.

Lecture 2- Use of health economic evaluation in health projects

This lecture will discuss the fundamental concepts of health economic evaluation, including cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-benefit analysis, and how these methods can be applied to evaluate health projects, interventions, and policies. The lecture may also highlight challenges and limitations of health economic evaluation, including issues related to data availability, uncertainty, and ethical considerations, and discuss strategies to overcome these challenges in real-world health project settings.

Lecture 3 - Belt & Road health cooperation

Belt & Road health cooperation is one of the most important components of China’s Belt & Road Initiative. This module will introduce the plan of developing Belt & Road health cooperation.

Lecture 4- Spatial epidemiology across the world

This lecture could provide an introduction to spatial epidemiology, including the basic concepts, methods, and applications of this field in studying the distribution and determinants of health outcomes across different geographic areas worldwide. This may include discussing various spatial data sources, mapping techniques, and statistical methods used in spatial epidemiology research. This lecture will also highlight how spatial analysis has been used to investigate patterns of diseases, risk factors, and health disparities at different spatial scales, from local to global levels.

Lecture 5- Universal Health Coverage in Western Pacific Region

The lecture will provide an overview of UHC as a global health policy goal, including its definition, principles, and importance in achieving equitable access to quality healthcare for all populations. This may also include discussing the historical and current status of UHC efforts in the Western Pacific Region, which comprises countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and other Pacific Island nations. It will involve discussing country-specific experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in advancing UHC in the region, as well as highlighting innovations and strategies to address UHC-related gaps and disparities.

Lecture 6- China and Southeast Asian Nations health cooperation

This lecture will introduce the history of China’s international health cooperation since the first project of China Medical Doctor Teams sent in 1963. In this module, the lecturer will explain the diplomatic role of the international health cooperation.

Lecture 7- Global obesity epidemic

Accompanying with the industrial development, the global obesity epidemic is recognized. Since obesity is related to morbidity of many NCDs, this lecture will help students to recognize risks related to obesity.

Lecture 8- Global aging

Aging is emerging in many developing countries. However, these countries are not prepared for providing long term care to the aging population financially and technically. This lecture will introduce how to support healthy aging at different steps between developed and developing countries.

3. The Allocation of Content and Lecture Hours

3. Assessment Methods and Marking Criterion

Each student will submit a research plan related to any themes in this course. All lectures will mark a score and the final score will be averaged.

4. Textbooks and References

《“健康中国2030”规划纲要》辅导读本，李斌，人民卫生出版社

《中非卫生合作：国际发展援助理论的探索与创新》，鲁新，人民卫生出版社

《国际卫生项目管理》，张朝阳等，人民卫生出版社

选课后，每个学生上课前一周收到英文文献的阅读包。