China–Australia Integrated Health & HIV/AIDS Facility (CAHHF) 2007–2012

Australian Contribution: $25 million

Duration: 2007-2012

Managing Contractor: The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health LTD in association with HLSP

Purpose: To improve China’s capacity to halt and reverse the spread of HIV, protect its population against emerging infectious diseases and strengthen its health systems.

Description of the activity

The China Australia Health and HIV/AIDS Facility (CAHHF) provides a flexible funding mechanism to ensure well targeted support for China's health and HIV/AIDS policy priorities. At the request of the Chinese Ministry of Health, emphasis is given to health system strengthening. The facility uses relevant experience and expertise from Australian health institutions to assist China’s health reforms. The three key themes are:

Health systems strengthening
Emerging infectious diseases
HIV/AIDS.

Representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the Chinese Ministry of Health (MOH), Australia’s Department of Health and Ageing and AusAID form the Program Management Committee (PMC) which provides strategic directions to, and oversees the performance of the facility.

Key deliverables

So far, 29 activities have been funded by the facility that were developed in consultation with the technical departments of MOH and endorsed by the PMC members. More than 20 Australian organisations are partnering with Chinese implementing agencies in these activities, all of which contribute to implementation of the health reform priorities of the Chinese Government. Most of these activities are still in the implementation stage but some examples of results are:

Healthy China 2020: a national, policy research initiative, which aimed to provide a solid evidentiary basis to inform China’s first national, long term health plan. The Chinese Health Minister has requested that the Healthy China 2020 research results be considered for inclusion in the country’s new 12th Five Year Health Development Plan.
Community Health Service Capacity Building and Operational Protocols: supported development and revision of service management and technical protocols for community health services. Part of this research has been incorporated into national primary health guidelines.
Improving Child Health Management in Poor Rural Areas in China. This research activity contributed to the development of a National Child Health Management Regulation promulgated by MOH.
Normative Documents Development for China's Food Safety Risk Assessment System and Standards is to support the development of implementation guidelines for food safety risk assessment and requirements for data collection and collation.
Public Hospital Reform. The Hospital Reform is among the top five priorities of China’s Health Reform Plan and is one of the most critical. This recently-launched project will research hospital management and regulation, and monitoring mechanisms and make evidence-based policy recommendations to MOH for policy and administrative reform.

The facility also manages cross-border HIV harm minimisation work through AusAID’s HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program (HAARP) [external website]. The total contribution from the Australian Government for HAARP in China is $7.4 million (channelled through the regional program). The duration of the program is from 2007 to 2012. The goal of the program is reduced transmission of HIV associated with injecting drug use in Guangxi and Yunnan, China.

Between July 2009 and the end of June 2010, HAARP reached more than 10,000 people through the program’s needle and syringe distribution services in 31 counties. More than 1.7 million sterile needles and syringes and more than 200,000 condoms were distributed in the same period.

Another key activity managed through the facility is Phase II of the China HIV/AIDS Roadmap Tactical Support Project (CHARTS) from 2007 to March 2011. This activity is co-funded by the UK and AusAID and aims to strengthen China’s leadership and coordination at national and provincial levels in response to HIV/AIDS. It is enhancing capacity for planning, implementation; monitoring and evaluation. So far, 14 national departments and 12 provinces have been supported, and 35 policy documents have been developed and distributed across the country including policies for NGO participation in HIV/AIDS prevention and improved welfare provided for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Facility manager

Victor Dong
A-1202, China International Science & Technology Convention Centre
12 Yumin Road, Beijing 100029, PRC
Tel: +86-10 8225 0257-119
Fax: +86-10 8225 9779
website: www.cahhf.org

AusAID contact

Linna Cai
Senior Policy Officer
No 21, Dong Zhi Men Wai Dajie, Beijing, PRC
Tel: +86-10 5140 4404
Fax: +86-10 5140 4199
E-mail: linna.cai@dfat.gov.au

Last reviewed: 29 November, 2011