From November 21 to 22, the China-Africa Medical Development Forum was held at the Palais des Congrès in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Mustapha Ferjani, Minister of Public Health of Tunisia, Wan Li, Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia, and leaders from the National Health Commission and the Health Commission of Jiangxi Province attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Lai Hengli, Director of Jiangxi Cardiovascular Hospital, and Hafedh Dakhlaoui, Director of La Rabta Hospital in Tunisia, jointly signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement. The two parties will collaborate to establish a "Joint Cardiovascular Disease Medical Center," marking the substantive advancement of their cooperation.

According to the framework agreement, both parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in the following areas:

‌Medical Service Collaboration‌: Achieve technology transfer and resource sharing through joint diagnosis and treatment, remote consultations, and expert exchanges.

‌Medical Education and Training‌: Implement skill enhancement programs for medical staff and jointly cultivate professionals specializing in cardiovascular diseases.

‌Research Cooperation‌: Jointly apply for international research projects and promote the translation of research outcomes in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.

‌Medical Center Development‌: Establish a "Joint Cardiovascular Disease Medical Center" in Tunisia, focusing on clinical diagnosis and treatment, interventional therapy, and technical training.

To ensure the progress of the collaboration, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital has conducted multiple online and offline discussions with Tunisia's Ministry of Health in the preliminary stage to refine the cooperation plan. In October 2023, the hospital’s medical aid team to Africa visited Tunisia to complete a field survey and submitted the Report on the Current Status of Cardiovascular Disease Incidence in Tunisia and Infrastructure Assessment of La Rabta Hospital, which provided data support for the collaboration.

La Rabta Hospital, located in the center of Tunisia’s capital, Tunis, its history back to 1897. After the establishment of the Tunis Medical School in 1964, the hospital was officially renamed La Rabta Hospital. As one of the largest university hospital centers in Tunisia, it operates as a tertiary institution within the public healthcare system and serves as a comprehensive hospital integrating medical care, teaching, and scientific research. Its service area covers over 2 million residents, including northeastern and western regions of Tunisia. The hospital occupies an area of 120,000 square meters and currently has 957 beds. It houses multiple specialized departments, such as cardiology, neurosurgery, oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. Additionally, it is the only infectious disease prevention and treatment center in the Greater Tunis region.