Breaking Barriers, Reconstructing Systems, and Building Connections: Co-Creating a Digital Future for Grassroots Healthcare – Second 'Grassroots + Internet Healthcare' Development Forum Held in Guangzhou
On September 16, the 2nd “Primary Care + Internet Healthcare” Development Forum, themed “Breaking Barriers, Restructuring, and Connecting: Co-building a New Digital Future for Primary Healthcare,” was grandly held in Guangzhou.
The forum was hosted by the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association and organized by Aikang Health, a vice-chairman unit of the association. The forum was moderated by Gu Jing, an expert in internet healthcare and a seasoned investor.
Gu Jing, Internet Healthcare Expert and Senior Investor
The first item on the agenda is the recitation of the “Eight Core Tenets,” led by Wang Lijue, Vice President of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Materials Association, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the Primary Healthcare Branch, and Chairman of Akang Health Group.
Liu Zhongliang, Executive President and Secretary-General of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association (CMPMA), delivered the opening address for the conference, extending warm congratulations on its grand convening. He stated that primary healthcare represents a vast market. The establishment of the CMPMA Primary Healthcare Branch fully demonstrates the Association’s response to the national policy direction of medical reform, reflecting its strong sense of social responsibility during a period of transformation and development in the healthcare industry. It also presents new challenges and opportunities for pharmaceutical and commercial enterprises to actively explore and innovate business models in primary healthcare as medical reforms deepen. Liu Zhongliang pointed out that the rapid development of the Internet has brought profound changes to human production and daily life, while also introducing a series of new opportunities and challenges to society. For all professionals in the pharmaceutical sector, an important task is to effectively leverage, develop, and govern “Internet Plus” within the broader health industry, working together to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace.
Theme of this Conference: “Breaking Barriers, Restructuring, and Connecting: Jointly Building a New Digital Future for Primary Healthcare”Currently, a series of national policies reflect the high priority attached to primary healthcare and impose new requirements on its development. The branch association’s initiatives have demonstrated extensive creativity, openness, and exemplary leadership, creating favorable conditions for innovation, mobilization, and service delivery at the frontline. It is our hope that all participants will pool their wisdom, build consensus, strengthen unity and collaboration, seize the historical opportunities presented by economic structural adjustment, establish broad developmental partnerships, and work together to forge a path toward equitable, open, comprehensive, and innovative development, thereby making greater contributions to the vigorous growth of the general health industry. The China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association is committed to participating in and sharing practices and experiences related to new platforms, emerging industries, and novel models, contributing its modest efforts to the advancement of China’s pharmaceutical industry and helping primary healthcare and the broader health sector usher in a brighter future.
During the forum, the inauguration ceremonies for the Guangdong Branch of Primary Healthcare under the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association and for the Internet Healthcare Research Institute were held concurrently. Li Jinquan, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association, read out the association’s official approval regarding the establishment of the Guangdong Branch of Primary Healthcare. Ke Huasong was appointed as President of the branch, Chen Guichang as Secretary-General, and Qiu Zihong and Jian Huizhen as Vice Presidents.
Liu Zhongliang and Wang Lijue presented the plaque to the Guangdong Branch of Primary Healthcare.
Subsequently, Dai Hang, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association and Executive Dean of its Research Institute, presided over the plaque-awarding ceremony for the Internet Healthcare Research Institute of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association.
Liu Zhongliang presented the plaque to the Internet Healthcare Research Institute of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association, with Gu Jing appointed as the Director of the Institute. The establishment of the Internet Healthcare Research Institute is primarily dedicated to theoretical and practical research in the internet healthcare sector. It aims to promote the scientific development of the industry, actively explore smart service offerings related to internet healthcare for the association’s member units, facilitate the advancement of medical services, and drive industry progress.
During the forum, Liao Xinbo, former Inspector of the Guangdong Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission; Zhang Jun, Senior Executive Vice President of WeDoctor Group; Wang Lijue, Chairman of Akang Health Group; Li Weidong, Vice President of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Materials Association, President of the Primary Healthcare (Yunnan) Branch, and Chairman of Dongjun Pharmaceutical; Sun Dongbo, Senior Partner at Zhongye Capital; and Tu Weiying, Deputy General Manager of the Research Department at CICC, delivered insightful keynote speeches on topics including “Development Opportunities for Primary Healthcare in the Post-Pandemic Era,” “The Role of Internet Hospitals in Follow-up Visits for Chronic Diseases in the Post-Pandemic Phase,” “The Path to Digitalization of Primary Healthcare and the Value of Industrial Services,” “Entrusted with Life and Health,” “Finance and Capital Empowering the Ecosystem of Primary Healthcare,” and “‘Internet Plus’: Future Development Trends in the Pharmaceutical Industry.”
The launch ceremony for the renewed “Chronic Disease Rehabilitation Project” was also held at the conference. Liu Zhongliang, Wang Lijue, Li Weidong, Zhang Hu (Vice President of the China Pharmaceutical Materials Association and President of its Pharmaceutical Commerce Branch), Lu Guanghui (Vice President), Wu Baokang (Executive Director and Secretary-General of the Working Committee on Innovation in Traditional Chinese Medicine Services), Hu Dinghe (Executive Director of the China Pharmaceutical Materials Association), Yang Chuanbao (Executive Director and President of the Primary Healthcare (Shandong) Branch), Huang Dingzhong, Xu Chagen, and other executive directors took the stage to initiate the project, calling on more enterprises, organizations, and stakeholders to join forces in advancing this initiative.
The Chronic Disease Rehabilitation Project was officially launched on December 4, 2018. It aims to empower grassroots residents to receive chronic disease rehabilitation locally, minimizing or eliminating the need to travel outside their villages. The project primarily provides five key services: 1) Chronic disease management and rehabilitation training; 2) A pharmaceutical supply chain service exceeding Tier-3 Grade-A hospital standards; 3) Convenient follow-up consultations for chronic disease patients; 4) Comprehensive chronic disease care for patients; 5) Reduced treatment costs and lowered financial burden on patients. The project fulfills the significant mission of “empowering physicians, safeguarding patients, and offering hope for recovery.” For the government, the “Chronic Disease Rehabilitation Project” represents a major initiative in actively promoting tiered diagnosis and treatment, serving as a crucial mechanism for the rational allocation of medical resources. By enabling chronic disease management and rehabilitation at the grassroots level, it facilitates scientifically sound and reasonable disease intervention to the greatest extent, reduces the incidence of severe illnesses, and truly achieves savings in health insurance expenditures.
For primary care physicians, comprehensive empowerment—through the provision of technology, resources, training, and innovative service models—will qualitatively enhance the service capabilities of clinics and village health rooms. By redefining the role of primary care physicians as both “guardians of rural health” and “brokers of rural health,” these facilities will become pivotal hubs for resident health services. Expanding the scale and capacity of clinics and village health rooms will encourage more medical professionals to return to grassroots practice in the future, ensuring a sustainable succession of guardians for rural health.
For grassroots residents, village clinics and medical offices previously stocked only 200–300 medications, making it difficult to meet pharmaceutical needs. By integrating the “Rural Cloud Pharmacy” with village clinic pharmacies, the shortage of medicines in rural areas has been thoroughly resolved. Through connectivity with internet-based healthcare services, grassroots residents now have direct access to hospital specialists. By assisting village doctors in chronic disease management, comprehensive intervention for chronic conditions among grassroots populations has been achieved. In 2020, more than 1,500 live-streamed health education sessions were conducted, truly establishing a pathway to health for China’s grassroots communities.
For the entire industry, A-Kang Health is driving the chronic disease rehabilitation initiative by deepening health management for grassroots populations, thereby unlocking a trillion-yuan market for chronic disease rehabilitation at the primary care level for the pharmaceutical industry; opening up channels for the diagnostic testing industry to penetrate lower-tier markets; providing fertile ground for the growth of internet hospitals; and offering an incubation environment for enterprises committed to the development of primary healthcare, with the expectation that high-quality and distinctive companies will emerge through collaboration.
The Chronic Disease Rehabilitation Project will continue to drive the decentralization of high-quality pharmaceutical supply chains, as well as third-party laboratory testing and point-of-care testing (POCT) devices. It will expand access to internet hospital services in more rural areas, enabling villagers to seek medical care with minimal or no need to leave their villages. By building a digital service platform for primary healthcare, the project will establish cloud-based hospitals, clinics, laboratory testing, pharmacies, public health services, and charitable initiatives, significantly enhancing service efficiency and capacity. Furthermore, it will enrich the scope of services offered under the Chronic Disease Rehabilitation Project, transforming clinics and village health rooms into pivotal hubs for grassroots health protection.
Moderated by Gu Jing, the forum hosted an interactive salon themed “Collaborative Innovation: Co-creating a New Era in Primary Healthcare,” featuring Wang Lijue, Sun Dongbo, Zhang Shaoquan (Chairman of Jilin Shenyuan Pharmaceutical), and Lei Xiuming from KingMed Diagnostics as guest speakers.
Subsequently, the conference held the launch ceremony for the Akang Chronic Disease Internet Hospital Platform. Liu Yashu, Executive Vice President of the China Pharmaceutical Material Association; Wang Lijue, Vice President of the China Pharmaceutical Material Association; Li Weidong, Vice President of the China Pharmaceutical Material Association; Dai Hang, Executive Dean of the Research Institute of the China Pharmaceutical Material Association; Jia Kun, Co-founder of Gancao Doctor; Liao Suixiang, Deputy General Manager of New Starting Point Internet Hospital; Zhou Jiajun, Head of Supply Chain at Ping An Good Doctor; and Zheng Linxiang, Head of Operations at Kuaiwen TCM, among others, took the stage to jointly launch the platform.
Liu Yashu, Executive Vice President of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association, delivered the closing remarks at the conference. She noted that in recent years, the state has introduced a series of policies favoring primary healthcare, and “Internet+” represents a new paradigm advocated by the government in this new era. By integrating these two elements, the conference offered an intellectual feast centered on the themes of “Breaking Through, Restructuring, and Connecting,” providing insights and strategic direction for the high-quality, innovative development of pharmaceutical enterprises. This year, the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association is advancing the construction of a primary healthcare platform, aiming to leverage the momentum of internet healthcare development to attract more like-minded professionals. Together, they seek to contribute to primary healthcare and the broader health industry, thereby enhancing public health.
Tao Jianhong, former Deputy Director of the Southern Institute for Pharmaceutical Research under the National Medical Products Administration and former Editor-in-Chief of Pharmaceutical Economic News; Qiu Kai, General Manager of Kunming China Resources Shenghuo Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Yan Wei, General Manager of the OTC Business Division of China Resources Sanjiu; Na Chunsheng, Chairman of Beiwa Pharmaceutical; and Zhang Jun, Senior Executive Vice President of WeDoctor Group. Zhou Li, Dun Yantao, Tang Xianmin, Liu Meijun, Zhang Hu, Yuan Wujie, Zhang Jianxin, Chen Xin, Li Lijuan, Zhang Wenjie, He Jiale, Wang Qinggang, Guo Xia, Li Weidong, Lu Guanghui, Sun Lixin, and Li Chuanzhao, Vice Presidents of the China Pharmaceutical Material Association, along with several Deputy Secretaries-General, Supervisors, heads of various branches, and heads of provincial sub-branches for primary healthcare, attended the conference.
