WeDoctor Showcases "WeDoctor Model" for Health Poverty Alleviation at the 12th China Conference on Health Education and Promotion

November 20–21, the 12th China Health Education and Health Promotion Conference was held in Beijing. Themed around strengthening capacity building to support the Healthy China Initiative, approximately 300 representatives from national and provincial professional institutions convened to discuss topics including poverty alleviation through healthcare and health promotion. In recognition of its pioneering contributions to healthcare-focused poverty alleviation, WeDoctor Group was invited to share its practical experience in leveraging “Internet+” strategies to advance these efforts.

Wang Hesheng, Deputy Director of the National Health Commission, attended and delivered remarks. He emphasized that efforts to strengthen health promotion and education in impoverished areas should be intensified around the central task of implementing the Healthy China Action.

Zhang Guimin, General Manager of the Brand Department at WeDoctor Group, shared with attending leaders and guests WeDoctor’s innovative experiences in leveraging digital technology at the grassroots level in China. He also introduced how Liao Jieyuan, Chairman and CEO of WeDoctor Group, was awarded the 2019 National Poverty Alleviation Award for his practices in the field of “Internet + Healthcare” poverty alleviation.

Zhang Guimin introduced that, after years of exploration, WeDoctor has integrated the three-tier medical and health service network spanning “county–township–village” levels. By leveraging smart devices and artificial intelligence, the company has enhanced the overall level of medical security and operational efficiency within county-level healthcare systems. Meanwhile, in collaboration with local relevant authorities, it has established a Health Poverty Alleviation Relief Fund to assist individuals who have fallen into poverty or returned to poverty due to illness, thereby further improving the effectiveness of health-focused poverty alleviation efforts. This approach has paved the way for a replicable and sustainable new model of “Internet + Medical Health Poverty Alleviation.”

In rural villages, the professional capabilities of township health centers and village clinics are enhanced by upgrading village doctors’ medical kits into “cloud diagnostic kits” equipped with more than ten routine testing devices—including those for complete blood count, urinalysis, electrocardiography (ECG), and handheld ultrasound—as well as by conducting smart village doctor training programs, providing standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols for 50 common diseases, and establishing intelligent clinic facilities.

In townships, standardized diagnosis and treatment systems for 100 common diseases are provided to township hospitals, while “mobile hospitals” are deployed to deliver basic public health services—comprising 7 categories and 53 sub-items—to key populations prioritized in six major public health service areas, as well as to impoverished households and individuals with disabilities.

At the county level, digital platforms are leveraged to support the development and operation of county-level medical consortia, with the goal of ensuring that “major diseases are treated within the county and health is properly managed.” By establishing a county-level digital medical consortium platform equipped with standardized diagnosis and treatment protocols and systems for 300 common diseases, and by integrating with municipal and provincial specialized medical alliances, the platform substantially enhances county hospitals’ capabilities in specialized care, chronic disease management, and health maintenance.

The “WeDoctor Model” for Health-Oriented Poverty Alleviation Is Becoming a Powerful Assistant in Advancing This Cause Across China. This November, WeDoctor entered into strategic partnerships with the Tianjin Municipal Government and the Zhejiang Provincial Poverty Alleviation Office to jointly promote “Internet + Health-Oriented Poverty Alleviation” initiatives, aiming to reduce the likelihood of residents in impoverished areas falling into or returning to poverty due to illness and to enhance the fulfillment of the “Two No Worries and Three Guarantees” objectives.

Currently, this model has been implemented in provinces and municipalities such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Sichuan, extending its reach to national-level impoverished counties including Yonghe County, Daning County, Qingjian County, Zizhou County, Guangshan County, and Zhaojue County, achieving significant results. Data shows that within two and a half years, among the 21 townships in Guangshan County, the proportion of households falling into or returning to poverty due to illness in five of these townships decreased from nearly 42% to below 27%.

At the conference, Xu Gaofeng, Medical Director of Beijing WeDoctor General Practice Center, also introduced how WeDoctor General Practice leverages information technology platforms and mobile health technologies to provide one-stop health maintenance and medical services—including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation—for individuals, families, and enterprises. The center’s comprehensive, end-to-end health management services received unanimous acclaim from the attendees.