WeMai Launches Global Free Telemedicine Initiative to Support Overseas Students and Chinese Diaspora During Pandemic
“Hello, Doctor. I am an international student at the University of California, Riverside. One of my Indian classmates has been experiencing severe coughing recently. However, outpatient clinics at local hospitals in the U.S. are no longer directly open to the public. He is currently very anxious and staying alone in his dormitory. Could you please advise us on what steps he should take now?”
On March 17, Zhang, a Chinese student studying in the United States, contacted the overseas consultation team for COVID-19 at Lishui People’s Hospital through the [Global Free Clinic] service provided by Weimai, an internet-based healthcare platform.
“After hearing that China offers online free medical consultations, Zhang quickly became the ‘go-to person’ among international students around him. Due to strained medical resources and high healthcare costs, many were reluctant to visit hospitals directly even when experiencing symptoms similar to those of COVID-19. ‘This is already the third time I’ve sought advice on behalf of my classmates. Everyone is feeling somewhat anxious and fearful now. If the free online consultations can help them, I’ll be very happy,’ Zhang told the reporter.”
Upon seeing the query, the on-duty physician at Lishui People’s Hospital responded immediately, conducting a thorough inquiry into the student’s past medical history and recent exposure history. Zhang meticulously served as an “interpreter” between the doctor and the student. After careful assessment, the on-duty physician determined that there were no suspicious elements in the patient’s epidemiological history and ruled out COVID-19 as a preliminary diagnosis. Thousands of miles away, Zhang and his classmate instantly felt a great sense of relief.
In a telephone interview, the on-duty physician told reporters that relatively lenient epidemic prevention and control measures overseas, coupled with lagging government policy responses, were the primary causes of anxiety among Chinese nationals abroad. “Aside from online consultations driven by the onset of physical symptoms, many compatriots were inquiring about effective preventive and control measures; these two categories accounted for the bulk of inquiries.”
On March 16, a Chinese woman living in Italy sought guidance on epidemic prevention and control from doctors in China through the Weimai free clinic platform. After careful inquiry, the doctor advised her to maintain strict home quarantine based on her reported symptoms, emphasizing that adequate rest and stress reduction would help boost her immunity. She was instructed to seek timely medical consultation if symptoms developed.
Since the launch of overseas epidemic prevention services, the COVID-19 consultation team at Lishui People’s Hospital has received numerous inquiries from overseas Chinese and international students on the Weimai platform. These inquiries have primarily originated from Italy, Spain, the United States, and several Central European countries. “I have even encountered cases where parents in China sought consultations on behalf of their children studying abroad. The pandemic is escalating so rapidly overseas that many compatriots are experiencing panic; our responses sometimes serve as a source of comfort for them,” said the doctor on duty.
As of March 17, the number of confirmed cases outside China had exceeded 100,000. A growing number of countries have entered an ongoing phase of pandemic response, with Europe becoming the “epicenter” of the COVID-19 outbreak. Many friendly nations, lacking adequate medical resources and experience in diagnosing and treating COVID-19, have requested assistance from China. Meanwhile, Weimai, a domestic online platform offering free consultations for COVID-19, has become a source of reassurance for many overseas Chinese citizens.
As the global pandemic spreads rapidly, a flood of urgent inquiries has poured into Weimai’s Overseas Free Clinic Platform from across the world. “Within just one day of its launch, the platform served over 1,000 overseas patients through Lishui People’s Hospital alone,” said Zhang Le, Marketing Director at Weimai, in an interview with reporters.
It is reported that Weimai had previously launched the first free online consultation platform in China in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. To date, it has provided free online consultation services to over 500 hospitals across 150 cities in China, serving more than one million patient consultations. Overseas Chinese citizens can now download the Weimai App or follow the “Weimai Local Health” WeChat official account, click to access the online consultation platform, and select “Global Consultation” to engage in real-time online communication with professional doctors in China, who will provide epidemic prevention and control guidance.
As many individuals still lack sufficient understanding of COVID-19, doctors recommend that overseas Chinese provide detailed epidemiological histories (including local epidemic conditions and recent contacts), describe their symptoms in detail, and disclose any medication use and past medical history when seeking consultations. The fight against the pandemic knows no borders; united, we will ultimately triumph over the virus!