Hainan's Future Healthcare Innovation Poised to Set National Benchmark, Files IPO Prospectus

■ By Our Reporter Su Qingming

A patient recently discharged after a myocardial infarction may be deeply concerned about recurrence; medical-grade home remote monitoring devices enable physicians to remotely assess the patient’s physiological status. Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, patients often seek a second opinion; through the internet, cross-hospital multidisciplinary consultations can help identify the optimal treatment plan. What should future healthcare look like, and how can it best benefit patients? Xu Jing, Vice President of AstraZeneca China and Head of Digitalization and Commercial Innovation, believes that technology-enabled “Internet + Healthcare” represents the direction for future development.

On April 19, at the “New Ecosystem for the Future of Healthcare” parallel session of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021, Xu Jing shared the aforementioned views. She stated that the internet represents connectivity between people, capable of transcending temporal and spatial constraints, thereby benefiting three key relationships: physician-patient, patient-patient, and physician-physician. For instance, physicians can leverage the internet to efficiently manage time in caring for patients with chronic diseases, thus slowing disease progression; additionally, highly skilled physicians can provide remote mentorship via the internet to enhance the diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities of primary-care physicians.

In Xu Jing’s view, technology will empower “Internet + Healthcare.” For instance, the Internet of Things (IoT) can facilitate efficient diagnosis and treatment by enabling interoperability among medical devices. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence can reduce physicians’ repetitive tasks, freeing up their time to focus on “more intellectually demanding work,” such as diagnosing complex and refractory diseases. The healthcare industry is currently undergoing this profound transformation. “As China advances telemedicine, smart healthcare, and ‘Internet + Healthcare,’ a large number of high-tech companies have entered the field, bringing with them applications of new technologies such as IoT, 5G, AI, and VR.”

However, Xu Jing believes that advancing “Internet + Healthcare” cannot rely solely on technology; instead, it requires coordinated efforts among government, industry, academia, research institutions, healthcare providers, and investors. In this context, policy support is indispensable, necessitating “an innovative atmosphere and policies that allow for pioneering trials.” Currently, Hainan not only boasts the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, a unique “medical special zone” in China, but is also benefiting from additional pioneering policies under the framework of the free trade port construction. In an interview with a Hainan Daily reporter, she stated that with national pilot policies and strong governmental support for medical innovation, Hainan has the potential to become a national model for exploration and innovation in the healthcare sector.

Xu Jing introduced that in 2019, AstraZeneca and the Hainan Provincial Government reached a consensus on promoting "Internet + Healthcare." At the third China International Import Expo last year, AstraZeneca China signed multiple strategic cooperation agreements with Hainan in the field of digital healthcare innovation, including collaboration with Boao Lecheng, marking the implementation of this consensus. “We hope to pilot initiatives in internet-based healthcare and internet hospitals in Hainan, and related explorations are progressing step by step,” she stated. (Reported from Boao on April 20)