National People's Congress Deputy and Qilu Pharmaceutical President Li Yan Proposes Accelerating the Construction of an Integrated 'Medical-Pharmaceutical-Rehabilitation' Service System for the Elderly

Source: Securities Daily Network

Reporting Team of the Two Sessions of This Newspaper, Zhang Min

Recently, Li Yan, National People's Congress Representative and President of Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., stated in an interview with the Securities Daily that in recent years, China has continuously strengthened the age-friendly transformation of medical institutions, promoted the construction of elderly-friendly medical institutions, and focused on promoting the co-construction and sharing of medical and health care and elderly care resources. However, there are still shortcomings in the "last mile" of policy implementation, such as insufficient age-friendly transformation in some hospitals and the lack of smooth coordination mechanisms among "medical-care-pharmaceutical-rehabilitation".

Li Yan stated that it is necessary to improve the regulatory coordination mechanism and strengthen the defense line for the quality of elderly healthcare services. Relevant national departments should continuously enhance dynamic supervision, evaluation, and rectification of senior-friendly medical institutions, guide hospitals to deeply advance the adaptation of digital technologies for the elderly, and optimize and upgrade distinctive functions such as large fonts, large icons, elder mode, and barrier-free medical treatment.

Li Yan believes that a "medical-pharmaceutical-rehabilitation" integrated closed-loop should be established to enhance the continuity of elderly health services. The construction of an "elderly health services medical-care integration consortium" should be further promoted by integrating resources from tertiary hospitals, secondary hospitals, community health service centers, rehabilitation institutions, and elderly care facilities within the region. This would enable unified management of electronic health records and cross-institutional, cross-level information sharing, breaking the "information silos." Efforts should also guide some secondary and lower-level medical institutions to transform into rehabilitation hospitals or nursing homes, and encourage county-level medical institutions to actively provide integrated medical and elderly care services. It is crucial to improve the quality of the "prescription-pharmacy-rehabilitation" integrated service system and ensure the effective implementation of long-term prescription management for elderly patients with chronic diseases.

In terms of industrial collaboration, Li Yan stated that it is necessary to enhance the supply and adaptability of aging-friendly pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Strengthen the coordination mechanism between regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical companies, establish a platform to connect clinical needs with R&D supply, and guide companies to increase investments in aging-friendly R&D such as easy-to-swallow formulations, portable testing equipment, and intelligent rehabilitation devices, while providing policy incentives. Improve the evaluation standards and feedback mechanisms for clinical adaptability, with medical institutions taking the lead in conducting clinical trials and effectiveness assessments, promptly providing feedback to pharmaceutical companies, and forming a virtuous cycle of "demand - R&D - application - iteration."

In terms of hospice care, Li Yan proposed that the service capacity for hospice care (palliative care) should be considered an important evaluation dimension in the construction of elder-friendly medical institutions. Hospitals at or above the secondary level need to gradually establish palliative care wards or zones. Efforts should focus on strengthening professional talent cultivation and team building, promoting services such as palliative medicine, pain management, psychological comfort, and family support. In addition, there should be exploration of including palliative care in medical insurance reimbursement, encouraging social forces to participate, and accelerating the filling of supply gaps.

(Editors: Zhang Xin, Qiao Chuanchuan)