China-Africa health cooperation was the focus of a two-day high level meeting in Beijing this week. The National Health Commission of China says it hopes to build a public health prevention and control system, and increase health and medicine cooperation throughout Africa. CGTN's Mark Fontes has more.

As much of Africa continues to struggle with poverty and disease, China is ramping up its efforts to help. Since the 2015 Johannesburg Summit, a comprehensive Chinese medical team in Africa has received over 2-million outpatient visits, and helped more than 52,000 critically ill patients. They have also donated equipment and medicine while improving Africa's health infrastructure. Experts say more work remains, but they're pleased at the transformation of health cooperation between the two sides.

CUI LI, VICE MINISTER NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION OF CHINA "Through technical cooperation and various projects, China and Africa continue to blaze new trails in health cooperation. Some of these projects include the construction of disease control and prevention centers, human resources development, and implementing local production of medicine."

Groups like the World Health Organization and the United Nations have thrown support behind the ever-transforming efforts. Case in point: Maternal and child health cooperation. China's solutions for expanding high-quality health coverage for mothers and children have been implemented by seven African countries including Ethiopia and Ghana.

SHAHIDA AZFAR, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY FUND "These measures that China took will reduce infant mortality rates, and will be some of the initiatives that other African countries hopefully follow."

But challenges remain. In Africa, health cooperation faces problems like poverty and infectious diseases such as Ebola. Complicated political and security situations also exist in some regions. Experts say more solutions are necessary.

DR. REN MINGHUI, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR GENERAL WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION "Because Africa doesn't have an advanced public health system, there is no guarantee that the achievements made will hold. An Ebola outbreak will set health indicators in a country back about 10 years. Now China-Africa health cooperation should strengthen the African public health system based on the local conditions, as well as carry out action strategies in the key areas like research and information network construction, to provide a professional platform for African healthcare talents."

As one of ten major plans from the 2015 Johannesburg Summit, China-Africa health cooperation continues growing and gaining support. Over 300 participants from African countries and international organizations attended the initial meeting, which also provided an important platform for collective dialogue ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation this September. MARK FONTES, CGTN.