Project HOPE Fights Respiratory Diseases in China

In China, the National Health and Family Planning Commission estimates that about 30 million people are living with asthma and more than 100 million people are living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which accounts for almost 12% of China’s population. The World Health Organization predicts that COPD will be the most prevalent disease in China by 2020.  Unfortunately, the level of awareness about chronic respiratory diseases in China is low, especially for COPD. Two-thirds of patients with COPD are first diagnosed in the late stages of the disease, creating a tremendous health burden for many in China.

The situation prompted Project HOPE to take the initiative to develop a program to address the unmet gaps in care for chronic respiratory diseases. Project HOPE partnered with AstraZeneca and many new media and e-health companies to initiate the China Alliance for Respiratory Diseases (CARD) program in April 2015.  The program aims to improve the health of patients living with chronic respiratory diseases and enhance the disease diagnosis and treatment capacity of hospitals throughout China.

The CARD program aims to

• Conduct 12 workshops annually – reaching 18,000 health care professionals – to strengthen the standard of care for adult asthma and COPD

• Conduct 12 pediatric asthma trainings at county hospitals annually

• Assist 1,100 health care facilities in improving their capacity to diagnose respiratory diseases

• Distribute 70,000 nebulizers at hospitals to promote treatment access

• Serve as a platform for COPD and asthma prevention and treatment, advocating policy and disseminating the international standard of care

Physician Grateful for High-Quality Training, Donated Equipment

Dr. Feng Wei from Huinan Community Health Center in the Pudong District of Shanghai was selected by his hospital to have pediatric asthma training and an internship at the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center (SCMC) through the CARD program. Dr. Feng will soon have his own pediatric asthma clinic, something his health center has never had before. After an initial two-day training workshop, Dr. Feng’s interest in the CARD program was piqued. Not only did the workshop answer a lot of his questions, but it also helped him build confidence in opening his own outpatient clinic at Huinan Community Health Center.

After the first workshop, Dr. Feng initiated his internship at SCMC. The first day of his internship was in the pulmonary function room, observing the clinicians administering a pulmonary function test on children. The staff introduced all of the equipment in the pulmonary function room, explaining how they are used and for which conditions.

When asked what kind of lung function device that Dr. Feng’s hospital had, Dr. Feng smiled and said, “Thanks to project HOPE and the CARD program, we have all of the same equipment as SCMC.” Project HOPE, with the support of AstraZeneca, has donated one portable lung function device and three nebulizers to each hospital involved with the program to help establish pediatric asthma clinics.