China's first Sino-foreign nursing school was set up Thursday in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, by Project HOPE and Wuhan University.

The Wuhan University-HOPE Nursing School, will help China cultivate more professional nurses, said Dr. Marcia Petrini, dean of the newly-built school.

The opening ceremony attracted over 300 nursing experts from countries like the United States, Canada and Finland. They will also participate a symposium on nursing education to be held here in the following three days.

Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) was founded by William Walsh, M.D., in the United States in 1958. He served as a medical officer aboard a destroyer during World War II and was moved by the poor health conditions he saw in the South Pacific.

The organization now conducts medical training and health care education programs across the world.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2004)