Improvement of Health Through Communications -- a National Platform for Healthcare Reporting
BEIJING, Nov. 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Bayer China and Tsinghua University have inaugurated a groundbreaking new initiative today, the ''Tsinghua -- Bayer Public Health and HIV/AIDS Media Studies Program," designed to play a key role in China's public health system. Attending the ceremony were Wang Longde, Vice-Minister for Health, Xie Weihe, Vice President of Tsinghua University as well as Dr. Elmar Stachels, CEO and Country Group Speaker for Bayer Greater China and Dr. J. Dahmer Country Speaker, Bayer Material Science Greater China.
Commenting at the ceremony on Bayer's support for the creation of this program, Dr. Stachels said, ''Bayer believes that the media have a vital role to play in creating public health awareness. The media are a strategic resource in shaping and influencing public attitudes and understanding, which, in the case of HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases, are critical in prevention, and the reduction of stigmatization and discrimination.''
The ''Tsinghua -- Bayer Public Health and HIV/AIDS Media Studies Program'' will create a national platform for healthcare reporting by engaging and training media professionals to promote the development of leaders and experts dedicated to reporting on HIV/AIDS, other chronic diseases and healthcare related issues in China. By encouraging leadership among key media professionals and by providing them with vital skills that look beyond current strategies, the environment for dialogue and support will be enhanced and the capabilities of a professional and informed media will be increased in order to combat HIV/AIDS and to promote public health issues in China.
Looking to future expansion of the program, Bayer aims in the long term, to broaden its initiatives to cover a wide spectrum of additional public health issues that need widespread awareness and recognition in order to mount large-scale initiatives to solve them, including chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
The program will be located at Tsinghua University, in the Center for International Communications Studies and will be under the supervision of the Director of the Center. He will direct the program and its activities and act as the liaison with the university, the government and external organizations. The parties will create a joint committee, which shall be made up of Tsinghua professors, media professionals from both China and abroad, Tsinghua graduate students and representatives from Bayer. The committee as a whole will be responsible for planning, co-ordination, control and staffing and implementing the programs and research of the program.
Bayer is a member of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC), a rapidly-expanding alliance of over 170 international and the pre-eminent organization leading the business fight against HIV/AIDS. The mission of the GBC is to harness the power of the global business community to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The GBC's China Business and AIDS Working Group in Beijing is led by William Valentino from Bayer (China) and is managed by APCO Worldwide
About Bayer
Bayer's links with China go back to 1882, when it first began marketing dyes on the Chinese market. Today, Greater China is Bayer's second largest single market in Asia, with sales of around EUR1.1 billion in 2003, and the company employs some 2,700 people there. The People's Republic of China is also one of Bayer's main centers of global investment. Bayer currently operates 18 companies in Greater China. Eight of them now have production facilities on stream in all business segments in which the company is active and local production accounts for an increasing proportion of sales. In the People's Republic itself, Bayer currently has 11 companies.
Forward-looking statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
For more information, please contact: Mr. William Valentino, Head Corporate Communications China, Bayer (China) Ltd., Beijing Tel: +86-10-6597-3181 x2823 Fax: +86-10-6597-3292 Cell: +86-139-0109-5369 Email: william.valentino.wv@bayer-ag.de
Bayer (China) Ltd.CONTACT: Mr. William Valentino of Bayer (China) Ltd.,+86-10-6597-3181 x2823, or fax +86-10-6597-3292, or +86-139-0109-5369, orwilliam.valentino.wv@bayer-ag.de