Intelligent Medical Collaboration for Global Women's Health: The 6th International Multicenter Remote Collaborative Surgery Public Welfare Initiative Successfully Concludes in Chongqing

On March 6, 2025, the “Smart Healthcare, Shared Well-being: The 6th Global Multi-center Remote Collaborative Surgery Public Welfare Campaign for Women’s Health” was held in Shuitu New City, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing. The event was guided by the Chongqing Charity Federation, co-hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medical Engineering and the International Society for Minimally Invasive Therapies, and jointly organized by 208 HIFU minimally invasive centers worldwide, 99 Uterus Network, and Dayi Weike. Over one hundred minimally invasive treatment centers across the globe were connected online via HIFU^®Leveraging China’s proprietary focused ultrasound technology, the device helps women fulfill their desire to preserve the uterus and breasts without surgery or bleeding, demonstrating the power of technology and humanistic care through public welfare initiatives such as free assistance and fee reductions. The world’s first international 5G remote focused ultrasound ablation surgery was officially unveiled at this event, and the “Yita Health Guardian Plan” public welfare project continues to be implemented.

Kuang Youzhi, Vice President of the Chongqing Charity Federation, delivered a speech in which he highly commended the organizers for their enduring passion and dedication to philanthropy. Over the past six years, the organizers have remained steadfast in their commitment, continuously carrying out public welfare initiatives focused on women’s health. By leveraging high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation technology, they have safeguarded the physical well-being of countless women, ensuring organ preservation and minimizing invasive damage. Rapid advancements in medical science and technology have further empowered these charitable endeavors. Each precise intervention serves as a conduit for love and hope, enabling women across the country to deeply feel the care and support from society.

Professor De Gang, President of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Therapies, delivered an address, stating that efforts to safeguard women’s rights and interests are underway worldwide. In several key areas, it is imperative for us to take the lead and set an example. Promoting high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology is crucial to preserving organ integrity and function. Let us join forces to enhance the well-being of patients with uterine fibroids and adenomyosis.

Li Jidong, Secretary of the Party Committee at Shijiazhuang Western Medical Center Hospital, delivered an address. He stated that Shijiazhuang Western Central Hospital has always kept pace with the times, making intelligent construction a core strategy for hospital development. The hospital is committed to enhancing medical service standards through intelligent means and pursuing a path of differentiated development. Minimally invasive procedures represent the future trend in healthcare. China’s original focused ultrasound technology, which requires no surgical incision, offers advantages such as being non-invasive and enabling rapid recovery. It has demonstrated excellent efficacy in treating malignant tumors (such as liver cancer and pancreatic cancer), significantly improving patients’ quality of life.

In his address, Wang Zhibiao, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medical Engineering, noted that fertility rates in China have been declining in recent years, with more than 2 million hysterectomies performed annually. Focused ultrasound technology represents a significant advancement in the evolution of surgical procedures and is continuing to develop along the trajectories of digitalization, intelligence, and non-invasiveness. Of particular importance is its ability to protect women’s organs, such as the uterus and breasts, from harm, which holds profound significance for society.

At the event, the Chongqing Charity Federation’s HIFU Public Welfare Fund and the Liangjiang New Area Charity Association jointly launched the “Her Health Guardian Plan · Care Initiative for Female Employees in Liangjiang New Area.” This public welfare initiative will be implemented through online and offline science popularization lectures, screening for uterine and breast diseases, and medical assistance. With Liangjiang New Area as its base, the program will gradually extend its reach to Chongqing and surrounding regions, impacting the entire country and even the globe.

Xu Shu, the person in charge of the public welfare project, stated that the Haifu Public Welfare Fund was established to reduce further damage to women’s uteruses and breasts caused by treatment. To date, the fund has provided financial assistance to 236 women facing economic hardship, disabilities, or recognized as outstanding teachers, covering multiple districts and counties in Chongqing and extending to impoverished regions such as Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province and Wushi County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The initiative also calls for greater public attention to women’s uterine and breast health, promoting awareness of China’s original non-invasive, bloodless focused ultrasound technology, with the aim of helping more patients.

Ms. Wu, a recipient of aid from the Haifu Public Welfare Fund, shared her medical journey, expressing gratitude for encountering HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) therapy and successfully preserving her uterus. Diagnosed with multiple uterine fibroids, she underwent focused ultrasound ablation at Chongqing Haifu Hospital. This non-invasive, bloodless, anesthesia-free, organ-preserving treatment proved remarkable, eliminating the tumors transabdominally. Her symptoms have now completely resolved, and the lesions are gradually being absorbed and shrinking.

It is reported that Chongqing Haifu Hospital utilizes the Haifu Knife^®The device is characterized by non-invasive therapy, specializing in the non-invasive treatment of various benign and malignant solid tumors. Years of clinical experience and data have enabled this team to become a leader in establishing global standards in this field and a global pioneer in focused ultrasound ablation surgery. The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has designated Chongqing Haifu Hospital as a “Global Center of Excellence,” the first Foundation Center of Excellence in China, in recognition of their contributions.

5G networks are characterized by high bandwidth, low latency, and high data rates, ensuring the real-time transmission of data and images. At the event, He Min, Assistant to the President of Chongqing Haifu Hospital, performed the “world’s first international 5G remote focused ultrasound ablation surgery” for a patient at the HIFU Center in Nairobi, Kenya. Director He had no medical equipment nearby and was not in a designated operating room; he used only an internet-connected computer. This demonstrates the remarkable capability of the Haifu Knife®. With sufficiently fast network connectivity, physicians can remotely operate Haifu Knife® devices located thousands of miles away, completely breaking through spatial barriers. This milestone marks a new phase in the globalization of remote diagnosis and treatment for China’s original medical technologies.

Director He Min mentioned during the interview that HIFU^®The device requires only mouse operation by the physician to perform the surgery. Real-time ultrasound monitoring allows visualization of whether coagulative necrosis has occurred in the lesion, ensuring the safety of the entire procedure. Patients do not require anesthesia and remain fully conscious; they can even watch movies during the surgery.

The therapeutic principle of focused ultrasound ablation is analogous to focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass, where the high temperature at the focal point can ignite paper. Focused ultrasound technology leverages the excellent tissue penetrability and focusability of ultrasound waves to concentrate externally emitted ultrasound onto target tissues within the body. At the focal point, the acoustic intensity is amplified by nearly 10,000 times, instantly generating temperatures of approximately 65°C. By harnessing the mechanical, thermal, and cavitation effects of focused ultrasound, this technique induces irreversible coagulative necrosis in the target tissue, thereby achieving non-invasive treatment.

During the event, an online multi-center case discussion on remote collaborative focused ultrasound surgery was presented. Dr. He Min, Director of the Training Department at the National Engineering Research Center for Ultrasound Medicine; Professor Chen Wenzhi, Chief Medical Expert at Chongqing Haifu Hospital; Professor Ai Xingzi-Aili from Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Health Care Hospital; Professor Sigit Pramono, Chief Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultant at Abdi Waluyo Hospital in Indonesia; and Professor Nguyen Viet Tien from Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Vietnam, among others, jointly participated in the discussion of a complex case from Thien An Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Vietnam and formulated a focused ultrasound treatment plan.

According to the 2024 Annual Report of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, focused ultrasound has broad application prospects, with 171 independent indications currently in clinical use or under research worldwide, and it is expected to cover most hospital departments in the future. As of the end of December 2024, Haifu Knife^®The device has been used to treat over 320,000 patients with various benign and malignant tumors worldwide, and more than 400 minimally invasive and non-invasive treatment centers have been established globally.

The State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medical Engineering selected 10 individuals as the “2024 Outstanding Self-Media Science Communicators in the Field of Focused Ultrasound” and 40 recipients of the “2024 Contribution Award for Self-Media Science Communication in the Field of Focused Ultrasound.” Representatives of the awardees stated that promoting China’s original focused ultrasound technology through short-video platforms and new media channels has helped numerous patients with solid benign and malignant tumors, such as uterine fibroids and breast fibroadenomas, avoid organ resection. This fully demonstrates the necessity of making high-quality medical achievements accessible to the general public. Non-invasive, bloodless, radiation-free, and organ-preserving treatments minimize harm to patients, reflecting a shared aspiration among both physicians and patients.