241487 Sino-African health diplomacy: The outcomes of the transfer of Traditional Chinese Medicine on local health care systems and population health in Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Monday, October 31, 2011

Paul Kadetz, PhD, MSN, MPH , Department of International Development, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
The globalization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides an instructive case study of physical migration and the permeability of political, cultural, and epistemological boundaries, as it is a function of both China's political economy since the mid-twentieth century and the global Chinese diaspora. The transfer of TCM has been formalized as a central component of China's health diplomacy in Africa since the mid-1960's. This research assess the outcomes of China's health diplomacy in three countries in Africa and analyzes if and how the transfer of acupuncture and Chinese herbs have resulted in specific health care outcomes at the local levels of recipient African nations. Specifically, this research determines the outcomes of this transfer on healthcare systems and population health in Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both qualitative research from semi-structured interviews and quantitative research of epidemiological data were used to determine health care outcomes in local communities where TCM has been transferred. Finally, these outcomes on local level health care systems and population health are compared with the outcomes from the transfer of biomedicine at the local level in the communities assessed.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the outcomes of the transfer of TCM on local population health in select African countries. Compare the outcomes on population health and local health care systems of the transfer of TCM to Africa with the transfer of biomedicine.

Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, Culture

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the sole author and investigator of this research
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.