China's NHC Issues 'Internet + Healthcare' Initiative, Creating New Opportunities for Childhood Vaccination Sector
VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) has learned that on July 12, the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly issued the “Notice on Deepening the Implementation of Convenient and Beneficial ‘Internet + Medical Health’ Activities.” The notice calls for industry-wide implementation of these activities, focusing on leveraging “Internet+” solutions to address the concerns and frustrations patients encounter during the medical care process.
In alignment with this notice, the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions on Promoting the Development of ‘Internet + Healthcare’” in April this year, clearly demonstrating strong support for “Internet + Healthcare.” The newly released “Notice” outlines 30 specific implementation measures for “Internet + Healthcare,” ushering in a wave of favorable policy developments for the entire industry.
“The Notice” outlines the next phase of development for the Internet+ vaccination industry: with inclusion in the National Immunization ProgramChildren are the key service population., integrate existingVaccination Information Platform, conduct public education on vaccination knowledge, and encourage regions with the necessary conditions to provide services such as online vaccination appointments and vaccination reminders.
Industry insiders believe that, driven by national policies, 2018 may become the inaugural year for the development of “Internet + Healthcare,” bringing new growth opportunities to the vaccination industry. How, then, can vaccination-related apps better leverage the policy benefits of “Internet +” and seize these new opportunities to maximize the industry’s value and social impact?
At the core of the internet is “connectivity.” Internet-based immunization services leverage connectivity and interaction to achieve information symmetry and resource reallocation, thereby continuously optimizing service experience and management efficiency. In recent years, numerous internet startups have emerged in the field of vaccination apps, making many valuable explorations in the direction of internet health services.
Vaccine-related apps constitute a highly specialized, deeply vertical niche. The healthcare industry is characterized by high entry barriers, complex regulatory oversight, and pronounced regional variations. According to statistics, there were 19 companies in China developing vaccination apps in 2017, an increase of five from 2016, with the number of associated children showing a rapid growth trend. Companies with over 100,000 users include Shenzhen Sandairen Technology Co., Ltd., Shensu Company, Nanjing Zhongweixin Company, Hebei Shichuang Company, and Zhuhai Site Company.
Among them, the Xiaodoumiao app, under Shenzhen Sandairen Technology Co., Ltd., had reached 14.8 million users (as of June 2018), covering 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, becoming China’s largest pediatric vaccination service platform. Its development model offers valuable reference for leveraging internet technologies to advance vaccination services.
The core pain point in the vaccination industry is information asymmetry, and the internet is precisely the powerful tool to address this issue. The key to Xiao Dou Miao’s successful breakthrough in the vaccination sector lies in its strong product technology and operational capabilities. By optimizing the entire vaccination process through a series of features, it has sequentially launched multiple services, including electronic vaccination certificates, appointment scheduling, vaccination reminders, and online payment.
In addition, Xiao Dou Miao has introduced “Ask a Doctor” and “Community Forum” modules, enabling users to communicate with physicians in real time and consult on issues related to pre- and post-vaccination care. The “Mom’s Classroom” section offers short stories, comics, animations, and online courses to help users learn about vaccines. Furthermore, from the perspective of enhancing convenience and public benefit, the platform provides extended services such as electronic informed consent forms for vaccination, school enrollment vaccination verification, and vaccine insurance. These features position Xiao Dou Miao as the first one-stop service platform in the field of preventive vaccination, and the only vaccine-related application capable of cross-regional operation and personalized adaptation to local immunization schedules.
In the long-distance race of internet-driven upgrades in the preventive healthcare industry, only practitioners who have a deep understanding of this sector and are deeply rooted in it can go the distance.
After a phase of “barbaric” rapid growth, the industry is facing increasingly evident development bottlenecks. Although numerous vaccination-prevention apps have emerged on the market, their functionalities are becoming homogenized, with little product differentiation. Success now hinges on operational capabilities: how to retain users and enhance engagement, while further exploring extensions along the vaccine industry chain, rather than merely stacking additional features.
It is understood that Sandai Ren Technology launched the “Listen to Experts” project in 2017 to connect with vaccination physicians, introduced smart outpatient clinic systems to serve grassroots vaccination clinics, and focused on developing big data systems for vaccination management and vaccine traceability systems. These initiatives provide internet-based management tools for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs). By integrating the relational chain among CDCs, clinics, and parents, the company has formed a closed-loop service model. Driven by data, it offers internet-based immunization planning solutions to enhance industry service efficiency and optimize resource allocation. Other industry participants are also gradually expanding into these related areas, indicating that future competition will become increasingly intense.
From the perspective of industry insiders, “Internet + Vaccination” is a challenging path to pursue. Although the market potential is substantial, products require significant investment before establishing a viable business model. The sector is heavily influenced by government authorities, and the awareness and willingness of local health departments toward “Internet + Vaccination” will, to some extent, determine the pace of market expansion.
To leverage the policy tailwinds of “Internet+” and achieve new development milestones, the vaccination industry must further explore how to truly “minimize physical visits by citizens while maximizing data mobility,” continuously enhancing the inclusiveness and convenience of the sector. Only by enabling the public to tangibly benefit from the innovations of “Internet+ Vaccination” can the industry break through its developmental boundaries and generate greater commercial value and social impact.