GE Healthcare's Zhang Yihao: Empowering China's Medical Device Industry through Collaboration and Innovation

Zhang Yihao, President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare China, delivered a speech titled “Caring for Every Chinese Person’s Critical Moments in Life.” 

Economic Daily – China Economic Net, Wuhan, November 27 — On November 27, the China Medical Device Industry Summit and the 2020 Sinopharm Medical Device Ecosystem Conference were held in Wuhan. Discussing the development of GE Healthcare and China’s medical device industry, Zhang Yihao, President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare China, stated that domestically customized and fully localized high-end equipment, as well as the integration of intelligent devices with clinical care and management driven by digital advancements, are becoming a trend.

“Demand in the Chinese market is ahead of international market demand,” said Zhang Yihao. Taking CT products as an example, simply introducing standard international products into the Chinese market no longer meets local demand. The localization of GE Healthcare’s medical equipment is not limited to mid- and low-end products; rather, through the research, development, and production of high-end products, it is driving the entire industry chain and even contributing to the development of China’s healthcare sector.

“Precision Medicine, Imaging First.” In Zhang Yihao’s view, the greatest advantage of the imaging industry is that nearly all diseases require diagnostic imaging. GE Healthcare has also been fortunate to collaborate with upstream and downstream partners to launch more targeted products, continuously enhancing pharmaceutical companies’ capabilities in disease diagnosis. Furthermore, various cross-industry collaborations not only create economic value but also provide the technological and productivity foundations for the industrial chain and related Chinese enterprises to expand globally.

Regarding smart healthcare, Zhang Yihao believes that it is quite challenging for a single medical device company to deliver a perfect solution on its own; instead, efforts should focus on collaboratively building a smart healthcare ecosystem. Taking GE Healthcare as an example, the company has successively established strategic partnerships with Roche, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm Group, Tencent Medical, and JD.com, aiming to meet the diverse needs of different customers through comprehensive solutions.