China asks Karolinska Institutet for help

[PRESS INVITATION 23 September 2011] Top government officials in China have asked Karolinska Institutet to help the country raise the quality of its medical education and research. In meetings with state councillor Liu Yandong, health minister Chen Zhu and minister of science and technology Wan Gang, Karolinska Institute's president Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson has discussed collaboration with Chinese universities in the field of health.

Harriet Wallberg-HenrikssonPhoto: Lasse Skog

A large delegation from Karolinska Institutet has travelled to China in order to forge closer links with some of the country's top universities. The party, led by president Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, spent over a week meeting government ministers responsible for health, education and science.

"They made it very clear that what interests them is the quality of our research and education," says Professor Wallberg-Henriksson.

China is currently implementing the world's most radical health reforms, after which 1.3 billion people will have access to primary healthcare by 2020. To achieve this, the country will be building 2,000 new hospitals and 29,000 new health clinics, as well as investing massively not only in the necessary infrastructure but also in research and education. Deeper collaboration between Sweden and China in the healthcare field will therefore be an important component of this drive to provide universal primary healthcare.

"We are honoured and proud by the reception we were given in Beijing, and will now use this to create a win-win situation for both parties," says Professor Wallberg-Henriksson.

On a practical level, discussions have so far been held with Peking University and Shanghai's Jiao Tong university, where plans for student exchanges, at all levels, are well advanced. A joint centre for clinical research, where professors and their more junior colleagues can collaborate, is also on the drawing board. There is considerable potential here for clinical disciplines and patient-oriented research.

Karolinska Institutet now extends an invitation to journalists to a press lunch, where Karolinska Institutet's director of international affairs will give further details on the collaboration plans and an analysis of the healthcare challenges facing China. President Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson will also report on the opportunities that exist for Karolinska Institutet and Swedish companies in the Chinese health sector.

Journalists are invited to a press lunch

• When: Tuesday, 27 September 12.00-1.00 pm
• Where: Nobels väg 5, Karolinska Institutet Solna campus
• Hosts: Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, president, and Marie Johannesson, director of international affairs

For registration details and information contact: