China County Hospital Presidents Alliance Launches 'Star Navigation' Specialty Center Construction Project to Facilitate the Decentralization of High-Quality Medical Resources

On July 21, the “Star Navigation” Discipline Center Construction Project, hosted by the China County Hospital Presidents Alliance and supported by AstraZeneca China, was officially launched at the Forum on the Development of Discipline Construction in County Hospitals. In response to the National Health Commission’s call to comprehensively enhance the overall capabilities of county-level hospitals, the “Star Navigation” project aims to promote the decentralization of high-quality medical resources. By focusing on the establishment of discipline centers, the project seeks to implement innovative models for two-way referrals, emergency care, and early cancer screening, while establishing a standardized system for chronic disease management, thereby supporting the development of county-level medical consortia and medical communities.

Chairman of the China County Hospital Presidents Alliance, Chinese PreventiveMedicineAddress by Wang Longde, President of the Association and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

Wang Longde, Chairman of the Alliance of County Hospital Presidents in China, President of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, stated at the conference: “The development of disciplinary capabilities is the foundation for the growth of county-level hospitals and the cornerstone of primary care institutions. It directly impacts a hospital’s ability to attract talent and resources, as well as its social and economic benefits. Strengthening disciplinary construction to ensure that patients with common and frequently occurring diseases within counties receive more standardized diagnosis and treatment has become a key focus for county-level hospitals. The advancement of disciplinary construction in county-level hospitals requires joint efforts from the government, hospitals, experts, primary care physicians, and society.”

Huo Yong, Executive Chairman of the China County Hospital Presidents Alliance and Director of the Heart Center, Department of Cardiology, at Peking University First Hospital, stated, “The County Hospital Presidents Alliance is a platform dedicated to advancing the development of medical specialties in county-level hospitals, requiring collaborative support from physicians specializing in gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, malignant tumors, and chronic respiratory diseases. The executive team of the County Hospital Presidents Alliance is committed to participating in the establishment of multidisciplinary academic groups within county-level hospitals, thereby contributing to the advancement of their medical specialties. The Alliance will better integrate resources to promote the development of various disciplines in county-level hospitals, significantly elevating healthcare standards in these regions. In the near future, this will help realize the ambitious vision of ensuring that ‘serious illnesses are treated within the county,’ implementing tiered diagnosis and treatment, and advancing the ‘Healthy China’ initiative, ultimately making county-level hospitals the cornerstone support platform for ‘Healthy China.’”

Zeng Wenming, Director of the Office of the China County Hospital Presidents Alliance, introduced the key work priorities for the “Star Navigation” Specialty Center Construction Project over the next three years. These priorities include strengthening the development of respiratory medicine, cardiology, and gastrointestinal oncology specialties; establishing a chronic disease management system spanning county, township, and village levels; precisely supporting the upgrading of county-level hospitals; increasing the proportion of patients treated within their counties; and building a comprehensive county-level disease management framework. The project aims to establish 200 chest pain centers, 50 National Standardized Metabolic Disease Management Centers, 200 departments of respiratory and critical care medicine, and 100 gastrointestinal cancer prevention and treatment centers in county-level hospitals by 2019. Additionally, it seeks to train 1,000 specialty backbone professionals and upgrade 200 county-level hospitals.

“Star Navigator” Discipline Center Construction Project Launch Ceremony

The “Star Navigation” project plans to conduct base visits and specialized seminar training sessions from August to September 2019, helping grassroots medical staff gain an intuitive understanding of discipline construction innovation, establish hospital diagnosis and treatment integration center construction plans, and accelerate their implementation. From October to December, the project will focus on building demonstration bases for discipline construction, select exemplary bases across various regions, and organize sharing sessions of successful experiences. Additionally, the project aims to popularize health education related to diseases, promote poverty alleviation through healthcare initiatives, and enable patients in county-level areas to access higher-quality medical resources.

The unveiling ceremony for the Primary Care Centers for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors was also held at the conference. By establishing these centers at the primary care level, implementing early gastric cancer screening measures and endoscopic precision examination strategies for high-risk populations, the coverage of screening and early diagnosis and treatment will be expanded, thereby improving the 5-year survival rate of gastric cancer patients in China’s primary care settings.

Unveiling Ceremony of the Primary Care Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors

Li Zhaoshen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, shared insights on how to protect millions of Chinese people from gastrointestinal cancers. “Gastrointestinal tumors are highly prevalent in China, with nearly 85% of patients diagnosed at intermediate or advanced stages, resulting in low five-year survival rates. A major contributing factor is the lack of regular health check-ups among patients. Early screening, early detection, and early treatment are effective approaches to improving survival rates for gastric cancer. Detecting one case of early-stage cancer saves one patient and brings happiness to one family. Currently, there are 4,418 counties and nearly 10,000 primary healthcare institutions across China. If these facilities could screen out at least 0.2% of early-stage gastric cancer cases, it would significantly reduce the burden of gastric cancer and offer health economic advantages. Through the establishment of county-level disciplinary centers, we aim to transform the traditional model where gastric cancer screening relies solely on health examination centers or opportunistic hospital checks. This initiative will enable county-level hospitals to engage in cancer prevention and diagnosis alongside treatment, playing a crucial role in improving gastric cancer survival rates and enhancing the average life expectancy of the Chinese population.”

Dong Lijun, General Manager of the Gastroenterology and Full Product Portfolio Expansion Business Unit at AstraZeneca China, stated at the conference: “AstraZeneca has always upheld its ‘patient-centric’ values. Leveraging our extensive experience over the years in addressing common diseases in China across respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic, oncology, and gastroenterology fields, we have innovatively launched eight integrated diagnosis-and-treatment solutions for comprehensive disease management in these areas, while actively exploring models suited for primary care settings. We hope to collaborate with the government, experts, and county-level physicians to jointly explore ways to enhance and drive disciplinary development in county hospitals, promote the advancement of grassroots healthcare in China, better meet patient needs, and safeguard lives.”