Zhejiang Health Commission and Alibaba Forge Strategic Partnership to Pioneer 'Internet + Healthcare' Innovation

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) reports. On May 16, the Zhejiang Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission and Alibaba (China) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Alibaba”) officially signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement. Both parties agreed to fully leverage Alibaba’s technological advantages in mobile payments, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and internet-based healthcare, while building upon the existing foundation of Zhejiang’s health and family planning informatization initiatives, to carry out cooperation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Both parties will leverage the “Internet Plus” mindset to build an efficient, inclusive, and intelligently integrated healthcare ecosystem, jointly exploring new models of “Internet Plus Healthcare” services.

According to VCBeat, following the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement between the Zhejiang Provincial Government and Alibaba Group in April 2014, the Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission responded proactively by collaborating with Alibaba to explore internet healthcare initiatives and technically match various medical service needs. The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement marks the official commencement of Zhejiang Province’s in-depth engagement in the “Internet + Healthcare” sector.

Going forward, both parties will focus on the development of “Healthy Zhejiang” and jointly discuss the construction of health and medical informatization under the “Internet Plus” model, so as to further improve information standards, security, and institutional frameworks. Meanwhile, leveraging their respective resource and technological advantages, the two sides will collaborate with medical institutions, social organizations, and enterprises across the province to explore new service models for “Internet Plus Health and Medical Care,” achieve sharing and coordinated application of medical resources at all levels, and provide convenient and affordable health and medical services to the public.

Wang Lei, CEO of Alibaba Health, revealed that over the past two years, local governments across China have collaborated with Alibaba Health to launch pilot initiatives in areas such as tiered diagnosis and treatment and health-focused poverty alleviation, accumulating valuable experience.

Under this strategic partnership, Alibaba Health will integrate its technological capabilities, internet pharmaceutical expertise, and resources to leverage big data technology in healthcare. This initiative aims to enable the general public to truly benefit from convenient and affordable medical and livelihood services in the “Internet Plus” era. The partnership also seeks to promote the research and application of the “Zhejiang Medical Brain” in Zhejiang Province, representing Alibaba’s most advanced technology in the field of medical artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, the ET Medical Brain is capable of serving as a professional assistant to physicians in areas such as patient triage, medical imaging diagnosis, clinical care pathways, and health management, thereby significantly enhancing doctors’ work efficiency and quality of care.

The Zhejiang Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission stated that the collaboration between the two parties will help medical institutions at all levels establish “Internet + Healthcare” capabilities and innovative models oriented toward primary care and patients, optimize service processes, and improve the healthcare experience for the public. It will also facilitate the vertical flow of high-quality medical resources through information technology, enhance service accessibility and efficiency, and provide strong support for the comprehensive deepening of healthcare reform across the province and the implementation of the “Healthy Zhejiang” strategy.