Zigong JD Internet Hospital Officially Launches with Expert Advisory Committees Comprising Over 20 Psychiatry Specialists
Recently, the launch ceremony for the “Zigong JD Internet Hospital” was held in Zigong, Sichuan Province. JD Health will collaborate with the Zigong Municipal Health Commission to jointly establish the Zigong JD Internet Hospital. Leveraging Zigong’s strengths in healthcare and JD Health’s supply chain and technological capabilities in the “Internet + Healthcare” sector, the initiative will integrate national resources in mental health services and geriatric medicine. The partnership aims to build an integrated platform for industry, academia, and research, creating a nationally renowned demonstration zone for the translation of health and medical research achievements.
(Launch Ceremony of Zigong JD Internet Hospital. From left to right: Tan Youguo, President of the Affiliated Zigong Hospital of Southwest Medical University (Zigong Mental Health Center); Huang Kang, Deputy Director of the Zigong Municipal Health Commission; Huang Xiaochun, Deputy Secretary-General of the Zigong Municipal People's Government; Nie Minhai, Vice President of Southwest Medical University; Huang Jin, Vice Mayor of the Zigong Municipal People's Government; Xin Lijun, Senior Vice President of JD Group and CEO of JD Health; Professor Li Lingjiang from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and Chairman of the Chinese Society of Psychiatry under the Chinese Medical Association; Zhang Hongtao, Secretary of the Gongjing District Committee of the Zigong Municipal Party Committee; Chen Qiulin, Deputy Director of the Center for Health Industry Development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
In recent years, Zigong City has actively explored the establishment of a new “Internet + Healthcare” model. After receiving approval from the Sichuan Provincial Health Commission in 2020 to support its creation as a pilot demonstration city for “Internet + Healthcare,” Zigong City has planned to vigorously advance the construction of this demonstration city through measures such as building an Internet healthcare service hub, establishing online Internet hospitals, innovating “Internet +” healthcare service models, comprehensively promoting telemedicine, advancing online pharmaceutical supply and distribution, and improving medical insurance payment policies.
Meanwhile, Zigong is making every effort to secure the establishment of a provincial-level regional medical center for psychiatry in the city and to build an internet hospital for mental health with a reach across Southwest China. As a national Grade A tertiary specialized hospital with comprehensive supporting departments, focusing primarily on psychiatric disorders, geriatric diseases, and psychological counseling and therapy, the Zigong Mental Health Center plays a pivotal role in this process. It is responsible for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders in Zigong’s four districts and two counties, as well as in southern Sichuan and neighboring areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Chongqing.
Psychiatric and psychological disorders often require long-term medication and continuous psychological counseling and psychotherapy, making them well-suited to the internet healthcare service model. The Zigong JD Internet Hospital, established in Gongjing District, Zigong City, with a nationwide reach, will leverage psychiatry as its entry point to continuously expand into other advantageous specialties. It will provide services such as appointment registration, online follow-up consultations, medication delivery, health consultations, and follow-up management, thereby building an integrated medical service model covering pre-diagnosis, during-diagnosis, and post-diagnosis phases. This approach better meets users’ needs for convenient access to medical consultations and medication purchases anytime and anywhere. Meanwhile, through this internet healthcare model, the high-quality medical resources of the Zigong Mental Health Center will extend their service radius to Southwest China, alleviating the burden on patients seeking care across regions, facilitating tiered diagnosis and treatment, and further optimizing the allocation of medical resources. It is reported that after the launch of the Zigong JD Internet Hospital, Professor Li Lingjiang from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, who serves as the Chairman of the Psychiatric Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, will assume the role of Honorary President.
(Expert Committee of Zigong JD Internet Hospital)
It is reported that following the launch of the Zigong JD Internet Hospital, Professor Li Lingjiang from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, who serves as the Chair of the Chinese Society of Psychiatry under the Chinese Medical Association, will assume the role of Honorary Director. A Medical Technology Development Expert Advisory Committee will be established under the leadership of Professor Wang Xiaoping from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Seventeen expert groups, comprising renowned domestic specialists in fields such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, will be convened to conduct research and explore diagnostic, therapeutic, and treatment methodologies for various mental disorders through internet-based healthcare services. Meanwhile, a Medical Quality Control Expert Advisory Committee, composed of 12 psychiatric and psychological experts from multiple hospitals across China, will collaborate with specialists in relevant fields to jointly explore and establish standardized and regulated quality control measures for internet-based specialized psychiatric care.
In April 2018, the State Council issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of 'Internet + Healthcare'," marking the gradual entry of the internet healthcare industry into a period of standardized development. Since 2020, driven by both favorable national policies and growing public health demands, a surge in the establishment of internet hospitals has emerged. According to statistics from the National Health Commission, more than 1,100 internet hospitals have been approved and established in China, initially forming an integrated online-offline medical service model.
In May this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Public Hospitals," which further proposed to "vigorously develop telemedicine and internet-based diagnosis and treatment." As an internet healthcare platform that has been deeply involved in the big health industry for many years, JD Health has built an integrated online and offline medical health service model relying on its supply chain capabilities and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things. As of December 31, 2020, more than 110,000 doctors had joined the JD Health Internet Hospital platform, with an average daily online consultation volume exceeding 100,000 throughout 2020. Leveraging its supply chain and technological capabilities, JD Health has successively collaborated with local governments and specialized psychiatric medical institutions to create a specialized psychiatric internet hospital solution characterized by "simplified medical access, preventive care, robust data, and advanced technology." To date, nearly 10,000 specialized psychiatric doctors have joined the JD Health platform.
It is reported that JD Health will also collaborate with Zigong City in areas such as boosting the general health industry, supporting the development of healthcare service systems, and advancing digital construction for “Internet+” health monitoring and early warning.
Huang Jin, Vice Mayor of the Zigong Municipal People’s Government, stated: “The launch of the Zigong JD Internet Hospital will help promote the high-quality development of our city’s healthcare sector, meet the people’s growing and diverse, multi-level needs for medical and health services, further improve public health outcomes, and also support JD Health in achieving greater success in its development of internet-based healthcare.”
Xin Lijun, Senior Vice President of JD.com and CEO of JD Health, stated: “With the launch of the Zigong JD Internet Hospital as a starting point, JD Health will further enhance its medical service capabilities, continuously innovate healthcare delivery models, and work closely with Zigong City to leverage complementary strengths. By enabling technology to do more of the legwork, we aim to reduce the need for residents to make unnecessary trips, thereby helping them enjoy healthier and better lives.”