WeDoctor's Global Anti-Epidemic Platform Connects Wuhan Experts with Italian Doctors to Share China's COVID-19 Response Strategy

At 2:40 a.m. Beijing time on March 16, the “WeDoctor Global Anti-Epidemic Platform” received a special consultation request—an Italian doctor sought assistance from Chinese physicians via the platform’s online consultation service. Serving as a “bridge,” the WeDoctor Global Anti-Epidemic Platform facilitated this cross-border medical inquiry, marking the beginning of aerial support provided by Chinese experts to their Italian counterparts.

"I am deeply concerned about my city..." This unusual opening to a "case description" came from Luca Varcasia, a general practitioner in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy. At that time, Italy had become the European country most severely affected by the epidemic, and Sassari in Sardinia was the hardest-hit area within the province. To better understand and combat the outbreak, Luca began searching for information on medical prevention and control of COVID-19. It was then that the WeDoctor Global Anti-Epidemic Platform (Chinese and English versions), recommended by the Chinese Embassy in Italy, came to his attention.

On March 14, WeDoctor, the digital health platform that was the first in China to launch online free consultation services for epidemic prevention and control and to deploy rescue teams to Wuhan, pooled medical resources from home and abroad to provide real-time assistance for COVID-19 to over 60 million Chinese citizens residing overseas.

During an online consultation, Luca provided a detailed account of the severe situation facing Sassari and the concerns among medical colleagues regarding pandemic preparedness, submitting a request for assistance to the WeDoctor Global Anti-Epidemic Platform. Upon receiving this “plea for help” that spanned mountains and seas, the medical operations staff at the WeDoctor Global Anti-Epidemic Platform immediately contacted Luca.

Given the severity of the epidemic in Italy, WeDoctor’s Jumei Doctor Group has specially invited Dr. Zhao Lei, Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Wuhan Union Hospital, to serve as a training expert. Dr. Zhao has been on the front lines of the fight against the epidemic since the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China. Having witnessed the ebbs and flows of the crisis firsthand, he possesses extensive practical experience. As the situation in Wuhan came under basic control, Dr. Zhao, despite his fatigue, promptly agreed to deliver “remote training sessions” for his Italian counterparts on the WeDoctor platform.

At 20:00 Beijing Time on March 18, spanning seven time zones, a dialogue between Chinese doctors and their Italian counterparts was launched on the WeDoctor Anti-Epidemic Platform. Through the Tangqiao Cloud remote video system of the WeDoctor platform, Zhao Lei conducted remote training for Italian physicians, providing guidance on infection prevention and control, and sharing frontline diagnostic and treatment techniques as well as clinical care experiences from China. Luca and his colleagues from various Italian hospitals, representing specialties including emergency medicine, internal medicine, and general practice, listened attentively to Zhao Lei’s presentation.

During the training session, Dr. Zhao Lei provided detailed answers to seven questions on epidemic prevention and control raised by Luca and his Italian colleagues. “The information shared by Dr. Zhao and WeDoctor has been ‘pure gold’ for me and my colleagues,” Luca said after the training concluded.

Zhao Lei stated in an interview, “Having endured the hardships of the fight against the epidemic on the front lines in Wuhan, our medical personnel are willing to contribute their expertise to international friends after achieving phased victories in Wuhan. By sharing our epidemic control experiences online, we aim to help their home countries extinguish the outbreak.”

Those who share the same aspirations are not divided by mountains and seas. The “Chinese Solution” delivered firsthand from Wuhan by Zhao Lei not only assisted colleagues in Italy and China but was also viewed by users from nine other countries, including the Netherlands and India, with over 10,000 viewers worldwide. Amid the rampant pandemic, WeDoctor’s Global Anti-Epidemic Platform has leveraged internet technology to establish an aerial frontline for collaborative efforts against the outbreak.