Governor Welcomes Chinese Health Officials to Alaska

May 16, 2007, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin welcomes the visit of the People's Republic of China Minister of Health Qiang Gao who will lead a delegation of seven other Chinese officials May 16-19, 2007, to observe the delivery of rural health care in Alaska.

“I’m pleased to welcome Minister Gao and this important delegation to Alaska,” said Governor Sarah Palin. “We are honored to have these high-ranking health officials in our state for this visit. I thank all of Alaska’s healthcare professionals and officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services who have worked hard to coordinate this visit. Alaskans have the opportunity to be part of an important dialogue between the U.S. and China about rural health care, a topic with global ramifications.”

The Alaska schedule includes stops in Anchorage, Dillingham, and Togiak, and was organized by the US Department of Health and Human Services. State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Karleen Jackson will meet with the delegation while they are in Anchorage. Representatives of the U.S. DHHS will accompany the delegation to Alaska.

The visit will acquaint China’s top ranking health official with Alaska models for rural health care delivery, both on site and through the use of telemedicine. The itinerary will also provide opportunities to demonstrate the role of Alaska’s public health labs in human and avian influenza issues, including the importance of quick lab response to rural health problems.

The schedule includes visits to State of Alaska public health laboratories, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Southcentral Foundation, Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage Native Primary Care Center, University of Alaska, Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, Togiak Tribal Council, and the Togiak Regional Clinic.

The delegation includes Minister Gao, Dr. Wen Feng, Deputy Division Director, Department of General Administration; Dr. Ke Xu, Director General, Department of Rural Health Management; Ms. Jianli Han, Program Officer, Department of International Cooperation; Minghui Ren, Deputy Director General, Department of International Cooperation; Li Yin, Director General, Department of General Administration; Weilian Shen, Deputy Consul General of the consulate in San Francisco, and Defa Tong, Consul at the consulate in San Francisco.

The delegation arrives in Alaska from the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Following the Alaska visit, the delegation will meet with federal officials in Washington, D.C.

###
   • All News >
   • All Speeches >
   • All Reports >
   • All Proclamations >
   • All Stories >