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CHINA will provide Zimbabwe
with a grant of $275 million for the development of the country�s health
delivery system, agriculture and industry.
The Asian country is also considering offering Zimbabwe, scholarships for the training of health personnel and specialists in a bid to assist the country�s health sector. This was discussed at a meeting between the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa and a Chinese delegation led by that country�s Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Wang Longde in Harare yesterday. Dr Parirenyatwa said under the already standing protocol, China would assist Zimbabwe with state-of-the-art medical equipment, drugs and training of specialists. The Chinese promised to work closely with the Zimbabweans to boost the southern African country�s health delivery system. Mr Wang told reporters after the meeting that his country would like to see more Zimbabwean health personnel being trained in China while personnel and specialists from that country would come to work in Zimbabwe. "We have also touched on other issues for co-operation like the use of our medicines here and a combined effort at disease control," he said. Dr Parirenyatwa described the meeting as fruitful. "As the health ministry, we might soon be getting scholarships for the training of our medical specialists. "These will be specialists in different medical disciplines. China, which has been sending its medical personnel and specialists since 1985, has promised to look into increasing the numbers. "While we recognise that China is a populous country, which also needs medical personnel we appreciate its efforts at improving our health delivery system," he said. Possibilities of a loan facility were also discussed during the meeting, and Dr Parirenyatwa said this would not be the first time that China will be extending financial assistance to Zimbabwe. China recently awarded assistance worth millions of dollars to the medical industry. Since medical co-operation between the two countries began in 1985, 60 health workers have come into Zimbabwe from China. Mr Wang said besides co-operation in health matters, the two countries could also work together in areas of finance development. "We discussed the development of small scale enterprises, something which the Chinese have benefited from immensely. "We also discussed the possibilities of embarking on cement and steel production, both of which are areas worth embarking on," he said. Meanwhile, Mr Wang and his delegation paid a courtesy call on Vice President Muzenda. He told journalists soon after meeting Cde Muzenda that the two countries could explore possibilities of co-operation in the field of HIV and Aids prevention and control. "In recent years, Aids has spread very fast�not only in Zimbabwe but in China as well," Mr Wang said through an interpreter. "China attaches great importance to the prevention of Aids. The government has issued a plan for the prevention and control of HIV and Aids. The two countries can explore the possibility of co-operation in these fields." He said the delegation also discussed bilateral co-operation in the field of health, land reform and the drought, with the Vice President. Cde Muzenda is understood to have told the nine-member delegation about Zimbabwe�s wish to maintain its territorial sovereignty in the wake of a British led campaign to isolate and demonise the country. He also said that the current food shortages were largely due to the drought and not land reforms as purported by the international media and western countries. Cde Muzenda also told the delegation that the Government would pay white commercial farmers for all developments on acquired farms and that it was ready to allocate land to those farmers who were willing to continue with their farming operations. He briefed the Chinese delegation about how the country was losing its trained medical professionals to Britain and other countries. Since 1985, China has been sending medical teams to Zimbabwe to assist in the country�s health delivery system. The two countries have strong ties that date back to the 1970s war of independence. And recently, the Government awarded a Chinese company, China International Water and Electric Corporation, a tender to develop 100 000 hectares of land that it intends to put under irrigation to grow food crops. The Nuanetsi Irrigation Project has the potential of yielding 700 000 tonnes of maize, three times a year. As part of its humanitarian assistance, China extended a US$5 million grant to Zimbabwe for the importation of maize and agricultural equipment to boost the land reform programme. Last month, the Asian country donated 4 000 metric tonnes of maize to Zimbabwe. The Chinese delegation, which comprises the country�s deputy finance minister, Mr Xiao Jie, is in the country on a three-day working visit aimed a strengthening bilateral co-operation in the health and financial fields. The Mulindwas
communication group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" |
