Chinese Government provides grant for establishment of China-Sierra Leone Malaria Prevention and Treatment Center

A malaria prevention and treatment center was held an opening ceremony in Freetown on October 30, 2009.

The center, which is called the China-Sierra Leone Malaria Prevention and Treatment Center, is located at King Harman Road Hospital.

This Center is part of a larger promise from President Hu Jintao in building 30 such centers in Africa made at the African Cooperation Forum Beijing Summit in November of 2006.

The Chinese Government provided a grant for the establishment of the China-Sierra Leone Malaria Prevention and Treatment Center, but the monetary value of this grant commitment is unknown After the establishment of the center, Chinese experts were able set up and test the facilities, exchange ideas with local specialists, and provide technical training to medical staff.

For the three years following the establishment of the center, the Chinese government provided the center’ facilities and drugs free of charge.

It is important that the center should serve as national bases not only for laboratory and clinical departments, but also, and more importantly, for research into anti-malaria strategies (including malaria prevention), for exchanges of advanced technology and for training medical staff.