China and Europe taking care of healthcare solutions “CHETCH”

Abstract

CHETCH is a research project financed by the European Commission with the 7th Framework Programme - PEOPLE MARIE CURIE ACTIONS - IRSES, with 11 Institutions involved and a budget of 688.800 €. The project intends to contribute actively to the cooperation between Europe and China through the investigating of opportunities for mutual integration in the healthcare sector. Cooperation and potential synergies will be examined from a comprehensive perspective, including policies at national and local level, the legal environment, medical practices, healthcare industries and related businesses. In order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the integration opportunities, an interdisciplinary approach is followed. The primary objective of CHETCH is to increase the availability of interdisciplinary studies providing a comprehensive overview (including medical, legal, economic, and humanities perspectives) of Europe-China relations in healthcare. Potentially, Europe and China have complementarities that could help each other face their specific needs in the long run in the healthcare sector. In particular, China would benefit from gaining knowledge and expertise from European countries at different levels. From how to project and run a universal system; how to plan a specific care program for its ageing population; to the use of western medicine to cope with new and improved medical needs of the population. Europe could “export” to China solutions, best practices and thus find business opportunities. At the same time, China could export to Europe practices and approaches of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that could be cost saving and effective in specific pathologies. In the specific, the team of experts in the medical field will investigate best practices of traditional medical systems using a modern science framework. The team will develop a process of recognition and scientific validation of TCM versus Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) at different levels as recommended by the World Health Organization Traditional medicine Strategy 2003-2005. This strategy includes the following indicators: • policy, i.e. integrate TM/CAM with national health care systems, as appropriate, by developing and implementing national TM/CAM policies and programs; • safety, efficacy and quality, i.e. promote the safety, efficacy and quality of TM/ CAM by expanding the knowledgebase on TM/CAM, and by providing guidance on regulatory and quality assurance standards; • access, i.e. increase the availability and affordability of TM/CAM, as appropriate, with an emphasis on access for poor populations; • rational use, i.e. promote therapeutically sound use of appropriate TM/CAM by providers and consumers.