WeDoctor to Expand Internet Hospital and Digital Health Initiatives in Tianjin Following Meeting with Mayor Zhang Guoqing

According to Tianjin Daily, Zhang Guoqing, Deputy Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Tianjin, recently met with Liao Jieyuan, Founder and CEO of WeDoctor Group, and his delegation. Zhang Guoqing expressed hope that WeDoctor would accelerate its project layout in Tianjin and continuously expand businesses such as “Health Bank,” “Health Industry Town,” and “Internet Hospital.” Liao Jieyuan stated that the company would actively engage in the development of Tianjin’s digital health industry, providing high-quality digital health services to nearly 16 million residents of Tianjin.

Tianjin boasts a solid foundation for developing the digital health industry. As the economic hub of northern China, Tianjin undertakes five major national strategic functions: the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the establishment of Pilot Free Trade Zones, the construction of National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zones, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the development and opening-up of the Binhai New Area. With a focus on enhancing industrial agglomeration and connectivity, Tianjin has continuously improved its innovation ecosystem and witnessed vigorous growth in innovative technologies. Notably, its advancements in artificial intelligence have been remarkable, propelling the city into the top ten of China’s Regional Competitiveness Index for the Intelligent Industry.

Furthermore, Tianjin has a high level of population aging, with registered residents aged 60 and above accounting for 23.95% of the total. Chronic diseases have become the leading cause of death among Tianjin’s registered population. In response to growing challenges such as population aging and increasing pressure on chronic disease prevention and control, innovative services represented by digital health technologies can effectively integrate cutting-edge innovations with medical and healthcare services. This integration aims to provide comprehensive, whole-person, and full-lifecycle high-quality health services to residents in Tianjin and even the broader Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

It is reported that WeDoctor Group established China’s first internet hospital, Wuzhen Internet Hospital, in 2015, achieving integration of online and offline diagnosis and treatment services and closing the loop among medical care, pharmaceuticals, and health insurance. To date, it has connected more than 2,700 key medical institutions across 29 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China, with over 290,000 affiliated physicians.

Leveraging digital health platforms and AI-driven medical applications rooted in both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine, WeDoctor has established digital “Health Communities” in multiple cities across China. These initiatives have integrated data and service workflows across municipal, county, township, and village-level medical institutions, enabling the principle of “letting data do the running so that people need not.” Currently, its services cover a population of over 25 million across eight provinces. Building on this foundation, WeDoctor collaborates with upstream and downstream industry partners in innovative medical devices, genetic testing, medical education, and new drug R&D to develop Digital Health Towns in cities such as Hangzhou and Xiamen, jointly fostering a virtuous and interactive ecosystem for the digital health industry.

Liao Jieyuan stated that, with the support of the Tianjin Municipal Government, WeDoctor will actively engage in the development of Tianjin’s digital health industry. Leveraging nine years of accumulated experience in construction and operations, the company will empower healthcare through technology and fully capitalize on the advantages of industrial agglomeration, ultimately achieving the goals of enhancing regional medical standards, improving public health indicators, and slowing the growth rate of medical insurance expenditures.