Agreement Supports Academic and Industrial Cooperation Goals of the Chinese Health Care Policy School

On June 14, 2011, Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium), represented by Luc Thijs, president of Agfa HealthCare, signed a three-year partnership agreement with the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS; Shanghai, China), represented by Prof. Pedro Nueno, president of CEIBS, as part of the CEIBS Partnership Program. This program seeks to foster academic and industry cooperation on healthcare through a network of mutually beneficial partnerships.

The partnership agreement supports Agfa HealthCare's commitment to the Chinese market, to innovation and to the continuous improvement of healthcare globally.

CEIBS seeks partnerships with companies operating in the healthcare industry to improve the performance of the Chinese healthcare system by creating and disseminating cutting-edge research on emerging topics in healthcare policy and management. As a leading player in medical imaging in China, Agfa HealthCare will work with CEIBS to achieve this mission.

To mark this important agreement, Mr. Thijs took part in the CEIBS 7th annual China Health Care Forum 2011, also held in Shanghai on June 12, 2011. Along with an international panel of experts, he spoke about recent developments through healthcare information technology (IT) solutions, during the session on delivery and payment innovation, which focused on both the progress made so far in China, and on sharing international best practices used in other emerging markets.

"The core competency of the CEIBS Centre for Health Care Policy and Management lies in the world-class research and consulting expertise of our participating members," commented Prof. Zhang Wei. "The partnership agreement with Agfa HealthCare fits in perfectly with this model. Agfa HealthCare can use its global experience to support us in our goal to improve healthcare across the board in China."

"Agfa HealthCare is committed to furthering the potential of innovation in healthcare, in all our markets around the world," noted Mr. Thijs. "The cooperation of the academic and corporate worlds is absolutely critical to achieve this. CEIBS is an internationally recognized business school, and we are pleased and honored to work with its Center for Health Care Policy and Management. Not only does this center have an important impact on China's healthcare, but it also offers a forum for [us], and other healthcare innovators, in this key market."

For over 25 years, CEIBS, established jointly by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) and the European Commission, has aimed to support China's economic development, to advance China's integration into the world economy and to prepare highly competent, internationally-oriented business leaders capable of working within the Chinese and global economic environment. The school has campuses in Shanghai and Beijing, and also offers educational programs in Shenzhen and Accra Ghana.

Following China's healthcare reform in 2009, CEIBS set up the CEIBS Centre for Health Care Policy and Management, under the directorship of Prof. Zhang Wei. Its mission is to improve the performance of the Chinese healthcare system through leading edge research on emerging topics in healthcare policy and management, as well as to foster innovative thinking and enhance the dialogue between different stakeholders in the healthcare sector.

Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading global provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions. Agfa HealthCare designs, develops, and markets cutting-edge systems for capturing, managing, and processing diagnostic images and clinical/administrative information for hospitals and healthcare facilities, as well as contrast media solutions to enable effective medical imaging results.

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