2020 Zhejiang International Forum on Health Industry & Digital Health Summit Held in Hangzhou

On October 31, the 2020 Zhejiang International Health Industry Summit · Digital Health Conference opened in Hangzhou.

Cai Xiaochun, Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province; Ye Quanfu, Director of the Hospital Management Institute under the National Health Commission; Wu Guizhen, Chief Expert on Biosafety at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Su Changcong, First-level Inspector of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission; Xie Xiaobo, Deputy Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission; Miao Wenbin, Party Group Member and Chief Engineer of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology; Gu Guoyu, Member of the Standing Committee of the Yuhang District Committee of the Communist Party of China in Hangzhou and Deputy District Mayor; Mei Jiansheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Yuhang District Committee of the Communist Party of China in Hangzhou and Party Secretary of the Administrative Committee of Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City; Cai Jiangnan, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Shanghai Chuangqi Health Development Research Institute; Wang Guojing, President of the Zhejiang Primary Healthcare Association; Hei Zhenhai, President of the Zhejiang Medical Device Industry Association; Shentu Zhengrong, Second-level Inspector of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission; Jiang Jufang, Deputy General Manager of Zhejiang International Trade Group; Yan Jing, Party Secretary of Zhejiang Hospital; Shu Qiang, Party Secretary of the Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Yu Haining, Incumbent Chairman of the Yangtze River Delta Health Industry Alliance and Executive President of the Anhui Health, Culture and Tourism Industry Promotion Association; Guo Xizhe, President of the Heilongjiang Health Industry Association; Wang Dongqing, Rotating Chairman of the Yangtze River Delta Health Industry Alliance and Executive Vice Chairman of the Jiangsu Medical and Health Industry Alliance; Xu Hongyu, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Shandong Medical and Elderly Care Health Industry Association; representatives from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Heilongjiang and other provinces and municipalities; representatives from the health, development and reform, and economic and information systems of various cities and prefectures in Zhejiang Province; vice presidents and member unit representatives of the Zhejiang Health Service Promotion Association. Nearly 700 attendees were present at the conference.

At the conference, renowned experts—including Li Lanjuan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Ye Quanfu, Director of the Hospital Management Institute under the National Health Commission; Wu Guizhen, Chief Biosafety Expert at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Cai Jiangnan, Executive Chairman of the Shanghai Chuangqi Health Development Research Institute; and Zhang Wenhong, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University—along with representatives from internet companies such as Microsoft, Alibaba, and Tencent, and health-sector enterprises including Inte, Wasu, and Hekang, delivered keynote speeches either online or in person. Together, they explored the application scenarios and development prospects of big data technology in the health sector.

In October 2019, the World Health Organization released the draft “Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2024,” establishing the priority status of digital health strategies. In 2020, the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic propelled digital healthcare to an unprecedented position of importance, directly driving the digital revolution in healthcare across China and globally.

“Since the beginning of this year, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global economic development. Zhejiang Province has adhered to the strategy of ‘maintaining strong measures on both fronts and winning both battles,’ coordinating epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development,” stated Su Changcong, First-Level Inspector of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, in his address. He highlighted that the digital economy has played a significant role, with digital technologies represented by artificial intelligence, big data, and 5G opening up a “second front” in the fight against the pandemic. These technologies enable real-time dynamic integration of information on individual and object monitoring, medical treatment, epidemiological investigations, laboratory testing, and movement trajectories, thereby achieving precise early warning and effective containment.

In his online address, Dr. Gauden Galea, WHO Representative in China, pointed out that telemedicine is transforming the way people access healthcare services, and artificial intelligence has enhanced the ability to diagnose complex diseases and identify new ones. The proper use of digital technologies is crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Digital health is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The essence of digital technology and data application lies in their rapid evolution. Countries need to ensure that digital health governance is both agile and robust, safeguarding the interests of the general public while adapting to the latest technologies, and engage in strategic dialogues with digital technology partners to jointly address challenges,” said Gao Li.

It is reported that, from the perspective of global health, attendees at this summit engaged in extensive discussions on the strategic importance and practical applications of big data technology in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the prospects for the digital health industry in the development of global health. 

Amid the rising trend of overseas epidemics, COVID-19 vaccines have become a focal point of attention across various sectors. Wu Guizhen, Chief Expert in Biosafety at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that as ofAs of October 19, 2020, there were a total of 198 candidate COVID-19 vaccines under development worldwide and listed in the WHO registry: 44 had entered clinical trials, including 13 from China.

For the post-pandemic era, Wu Guizhen recommends strengthening market supervision of wildlife, reinforcing public awareness of ecological civilization; continuously improving citizens’ civic and scientific literacy; and intensifying efforts to achieve breakthroughs in key core technologies.

Academician Li Lanjuan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering delivered a keynote address online, stating that digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing have played an extremely important supporting role in monitoring, analyzing, and tracing the source of the novel coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic. She further emphasized their significant contributions to science-based epidemic prevention and early warning and control efforts.

“For instance, following the outbreak at Beijing’s Xinfadi Market, we employed big data-enabled ‘cloud-based epidemiological investigations,’ particularly conducting spatiotemporal traceback for high-risk populations to identify their close contacts. This approach facilitated timely and effective containment of the sudden outbreak in Beijing. Relevant authorities utilized big data and artificial intelligence to establish an integrated dispatch and management platform, providing scientific support for the timely adjustment of prevention and control strategies,” said Li Lanjuan. She noted that China is within a single flight’s distance from all countries around the world. While the COVID-19 epidemic has been well controlled in China, it continues to spread globally. In the future, artificial intelligence will rapidly develop in the healthcare sector. Efforts should focus on strengthening the foundational infrastructure of smart healthcare, while achieving significant breakthroughs in areas such as intelligent pharmaceutical regulation, human-AI collaborative healthcare, and collective intelligent decision-making in medical practice.

Cai Jiangnan, Executive Chairman of the Shanghai Chuangqi Health Development Research Institute, focused on“Top 10 Trends in the Health Industry in the Post-Pandemic Era” provides a detailed introduction, covering aspects such as “online and offline integration,” “combination of out-of-hospital and in-hospital care,” and “integration of diagnosis and treatment.” It posits that disruptive innovation in the healthcare sector involves offering consumers simpler and more affordable products and services, thereby providing higher-value options. The pandemic has accelerated the development of new technologies; advancements in information technology, the internet, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence are conducive to fostering disruptive innovation in the healthcare field.

In the view of Zhu Yaochuan, President of the Zhejiang Health Service Industry Promotion Association, China boasts the world’s largest application scenarios for digital health. Digital health will emerge as the most expansive track in the era of the industrial internet, with a market space valued at trillions of yuan.

“Digital health is poised to become a key component of the new infrastructure in the future healthcare system. Catalyzed by the pandemic, 2020 marked the inaugural year for digital health, establishing it as a vital part of China’s ‘New Infrastructure’ initiative. The market size of China’s digital health sector was only RMB 85 billion in 2015, is projected to expand to RMB 314 billion in 2020, and is expected to further grow to RMB 597 billion. The prospects for China’s digital health market are undoubtedly bright,” said Zhu Yaolong.

That afternoon, the Internet Pharmaceutical Distribution Sub-forum, the Children’s Health Intelligent Management Forum, and the Digital Empowerment for Healthy Aging Thematic Forum were successfully held in Hangzhou. Huang Feng, Director of the Planning, Development, and Informatization Division of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission; Jin Jiahe, Director of the Zhejiang Big Data Development Center; Li Tiantian, Founder of DXY; and Ke Yan, Senior Vice President of AliHealth, among others, engaged in discussions on the development of internet healthcare under normalized pandemic conditions, offering their in-depth insights. Internet healthcare enterprises such as Inte, Alibaba, and Tencent also shared their practical achievements.Focusing on health management for children, Shu Qiang, Party Secretary of the Children’s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Children’s Health and Diseases; Ding Gangqiang, Director of the National Institute for Nutrition and Health at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; and Zhang Wan’en, Director of the Maternal and Child Health Division of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, along with other experts in the field, conducted in-depth analyses and provided recommendations on health management for pediatric populations and digital application scenarios.With a focus on the elderly care industry, attending guests including Wu Xin, Researcher and Division Director at the Third Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation; Liu Caixia, Director of the Nursing Department at Zhejiang Hospital; Pan Qinian, General Manager of the Key Account Innovation Business Department at Zhejiang Wasu Media Network Co., Ltd.; and Hu Bin, Executive Vice President of Zhejiang Hekang Medical and Elderly Care Services Group Co., Ltd., discussed development trends, industrialization promotion, and applications of smart health and elderly care services.

It is reported that the Zhejiang International Health Industry Expo (hereinafter referred to as the “Health Expo”) was held concurrently with this year’s conference. As the only high-level, specialized, and authoritative industry event in the health sector within the province, sinceSince 2015, the Health Expo has been successfully held for five sessions. This year, in response to the demands of digital health, the Health Expo is being conducted through an integrated online and offline format.

Currently,“Online Health Expo” (www.online-healthexpo.com）The platform has officially launched, with a one-year exhibition period, and is freely accessible to healthcare enterprises and institutions within Zhejiang Province. The online platform features product display sections for healthcare services, digital health, intelligent manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and hospital logistics management, creating a venue for product showcasing, information exchange, and business matchmaking between suppliers and buyers. At the forum, China Life, Intersun, Wasu, and Hekang, among others, set up offline booths to showcase their significant achievements and innovative practices in digital health.

It is reported that the forum was hosted by the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology, and organized by the Zhejiang Health Service Industry Promotion Association and the Administrative Committee of Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City (Haichuang Park).