CAHHF Overview
The China-Australia Health and HIV/AIDS Facility (CAHHF) is jointly overseen by China's Ministry of Health, Australia's Department of Health and Ageing, China's Ministry of Commerce and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), which also funds the Facility.
The Facility uses expertise from both Chinese and Australian health institutions to support the Chinese Government's health reform priorities. The Facility acknowledges the mutual national interests of China and Australia. It is a new form of development partnership that is flexible and responsive.
Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon & Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu, 2011
Objectives
The Facility's goal is to improve China's capacity to strengthen its health systems, protect its population against emerging infectious diseases and halt and reverse the spread of HIV. CAHHF contributes to this in a variety of ways, including:
- Engagement with health policy and health system strengthening, especially in relation to China's health reform areas;
- Promotion of sustainable China-Australia partnerships;
- Development of capacity in China's health system;
- Promotion of gender equality; and
- Demonstration of regional impact.
The objectives under each theme are:
Health Systems Strengthening
- To strengthen rural and urban access to essential health care, and other priority aspects of related health policy, planning and management.
Emerging Infectious Diseases
- To strengthen preparedness planning for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including events of regional public health importance.
- To strengthen public health laboratory networks and systems essential to surveillance for and response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
HIV/AIDS
- To support leadership and coordination of China's response to HIV/AIDS.
- To support prevention based activities (including through harm reduction techniques) that address the needs of populations most likely to be exposed to HIV.
- To strengthen policy related to community-based voluntary confidential counselling and testing and care, treatment and support.
In line with the Chinese Government's health reform agenda, CAHHF is increasingly focused on health system strengthening.
