MINSK, 27 February (BelTA) – Belarus’ Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich is in talks with Chinese companies about the supply and joint production of medicines, as well as the purchase of equipment for healthcare facilities, BelTA learned from the press service of the Healthcare Ministry of Belarus.
Negotiations covering a wide range of matters in healthcare and pharmaceutics are taking place in China on 27 February. Dmitry Pinevich is visiting an enterprise run by China’s pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. The parties are exploring the possibilities for the supply, joint production and localization of various medicines, as well as the purchase of equipment for healthcare facilities and laboratories.
“After the outbreak of the coronavirus infection in China, upon the instruction of the president of Belarus, our country was the first in the world to send a humanitarian cargo here, and later a second batch of aid was sent. China helped Belarus a lot, too. Since April 2020 China has provided gratuitous aid to Belarus worth $30 million. It included personal protective equipment, medical and diagnostic devices,” the press service said.
Vaccine supplies were very instrumental in preventing the spread of the coronavirus infection. Some 4.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were donated, and another 4.6 million were purchased. China also shared its expertise and knowledge in diagnostics and treatment of the coronavirus infection at video conferences, which was highly useful for Belarusian doctors.
“China Sinopharm International Corporation and China National Biotec Group, which are part of Sinopharm Corporation, were invited to discuss projects to localize the production of Sinopharm Corporation’s medicines in Belarus and to create a joint venture,” the Healthcare Ministry said.
The meeting with Dmitry Pinevich was also attended by senior executives of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines & Health Products. The memorandum helps facilitate, among other things, the promotion of Chinese medical equipment on the Belarusian market and assist in monitoring the reliability of suppliers of Chinese medical products to Belarus.