Medical

One of the founding objectives of FOC is to assist in the advancement of health and medical services in China. Several of the development projects mentioned above involve public health and training for medical professionals. These programs have only been possible because of the excellent cooperation has been established with local government health officials and provincial bureaus, such as the International Health Exchange Center (IHEC) of the Sichuan Provincial Public Health Bureau. FOC is grateful for this productive cooperation and continues to make plans for future academic exchange programs and development programs for rural hospitals and clinics.

During 2004, FOC had one associate working as a healthcare professional at the Hanzhong (??) Welfare Center in Shaanxi Province. She is involved in training others in rehabilitation techniques. Another associate has provided training for dental professionals in Yunnan. Several trainings in public health and hygiene have been conducted by FOC associates in Qinghai Province. We have a number of people with qualifications and skills in the medical profession who plan to eventually use their skills in China, especially in training or educational programs at the grass-roots level.

An FOC associate who is a medical doctor and has had years of experience with HIV/AIDS in Africa made visits to Henan and Xinjiang to explore options of how FOC can cooperate with medical universities, hospitals and other government organizations to address the issue of HIV/AIDS in these locations. FOC is grateful for the warm welcome and the useful discussions that occurred. The FOC Board has approved funds for a more detailed study to be conducted in 2005 to investigate how FOC can best be of assistance with issues related to HIV/AIDS.