Relationships With Asia Continue to Flourish
Dozens of Indian business representatives will be in British Columbia to discuss business opportunities between B.C. and India this summer, Premier Gordon Campbell announced this week from Mumbai, India.
The Indian Merchants’ Chamber will bring a delegation of approximately 80 companies from a range of business sectors to Vancouver on June 18 and 19 as part of the chamber’s annual international outreach program, India Calling. The announcement follows a host of agreements reached during the Premier's mission to Asia, including:
- The University College of the Fraser Valley and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design signed three agreements with Indian post-secondary institutions to expand post-secondary education opportunities for students in British Columbia and India.
- Kingfisher Airlines has committed to operate the first non-stop Delhi-Vancouver flights as soon as possible. It’s expected that the non-stop service will reduce travel time between Delhi and Vancouver from approximately 25 hours to 15 hours.
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B.C. and India Partner to Improve Public Health
Simon Fraser University (SFU) will help India produce research pioneers and public health professionals and combat infectious diseases, thanks to two agreements signed as part of Premier Campbell’s mission to Asia.
The two agreements are:
- Between SFU and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), a publicly and privately funded organization that is developing seven Institutes of Public Health in India (IIPHs). With $50 million from the Bill Gates Foundation, the PHFI is partnering with leading universities worldwide to train future faculty for the IIPHs. SFU is the only Canadian partner.
- Between SFU, the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology to develop collaborations in the area of bioinformatics and infectious diseases, beginning with malaria and tuberculosis. The DBT will match SFU funding of $100,000 per year on a project related to infectious diseases.
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B.C. Invests $4.3 Million in Life-Saving Kidney Equipment
Patients with chronic kidney disease in British Columbia will benefit from a $4.3-million capital investment this year in medical equipment to help manage their condition.
An estimated 145,000 British Columbian are affected by some form of kidney disease. Since 2001, B.C. has increased the number of hospital, clinic and home-based dialysis stations by 66 per cent in 18 communities across the province. The funding for new renal care equipment throughout B.C. includes:
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13 new dialysis machines to deliver additional dialysis sessions to kidney patients.
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61 replacement reverse osmosis and dialysis machines to increase treatment capacity and care as the new machines require less downtime.
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49 new machines for independent dialysis, allowing patients to receive care at home.
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