China’s senior population of currently 230 million is growing rapidly. There is a shortage in the country of knowledge and experience of senior care. The Chinese therefore look with admiration at the way in which we care for our seniors in the Netherlands. From 6 – 10 May 2019 the Embassy of the Netherlands in Beijing, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, and Task Force Health Care (TFHC), organized an Ageing & Senior Care Mission to China, led by Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Mr. Hugo de Jonge.
The Minister visited a number of Chinese institutions and was accompanied by a business delegation of over twenty life sciences and health organizations with the aim to help the Chinese seniors to stay out of the retirement home for as long and healthy as possible with the help of their smart solutions.
During the visit Minister Hugo de Jonge also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). They actively sought alignment with the Netherlands to work together on facing the challenge of its aging societies. To ensure the cooperation, Len de Jong (Chairman of the TFHC) signed the MoU on behalf of TFHC together with the International Cooperation Center of National Development and Reform Commission, as the executive organization. Both organizations will be active in developing an implementation plan.
A possible incoming visit from an NDRC delegation in June will be organized as a follow-up from the MoU. Next to that, a Holland Pavilion will be organized at CMEF Spring in Shanghai from 9 – 12 April for Dutch life sciences and health organizations to showcase their smart solutions at one of the largest medical device events in Asia.
