First International Internet Healthcare Conference to Convene in Wuzhen, Launching China Internet Healthcare Industry Alliance

The “Inaugural International Internet Healthcare Conference and Founding Ceremony of the China Internet Medical Health Industry Alliance” will be held in Wuzhen from June 24 to 26. This is the highest-profile internet healthcare conference hosted in Wuzhen following two editions of the World Internet Conference.

Themed “Interconnected Sharing, Smart Health,” the conference was guided by the Medical Management Service Guidance Center of the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology; hosted by the Tongxiang Municipal People’s Government and the China Internet Healthcare Industry Alliance (in preparation); and organized by Wuzhen Internet Hospital. Co-organizers included The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; The First Hospital of Jilin University; The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; Health News; and WeDoctor.

As the permanent host of the World Internet Conference, the Wuzhen Internet Innovation Development Pilot Zone serves as a microcosm of China’s internet innovation and development. In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2nd World Internet Conference, President Xi Jinping specifically highlighted a number of innovative internet applications in Wuzhen, including the “Online Hospital” and smart tourism. The Wuzhen Internet Hospital has become a typical representative of the “Internet + Healthcare” industry, attracting widespread attention during the conference.

Across China, the “Internet + Healthcare” industry chain has gradually taken shape. However, the sector faces pressing challenges: how to achieve more efficient integration among key nodes of the industry chain—including healthcare delivery, pharmaceuticals, and insurance—as well as between online and offline channels; how to better align the introduction of relevant policies and industry standards with industrial innovation; and how to enhance the long-term growth momentum of the emerging Internet healthcare industry. There is an urgent need to drive sustainable innovation through deeper and broader integration.

To this end, the conference has invited more than 150 leading experts from China and abroad in the fields of healthcare management, the pharmaceutical industry, and the internet to serve as keynote speakers. They will not only share valuable insights from their respective professional domains and address attendees’ questions on-site but also engage in thought-provoking cross-disciplinary dialogues.

The inaugural International Internet Healthcare Conference, along with the announcement of the establishment of the “China Internet Medical and Health Industry Alliance,” will promote extensive exchanges and in-depth cooperation among key stakeholders in China’s internet medical and health industry, facilitate supply-demand matching and knowledge sharing, and effectively address practical challenges facing the sector. The alliance’s founding members include more than 60 organizations such as the Medical Management Service Guidance Center of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, Tencent, Alibaba, WeDoctor, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, and China Re Life Insurance, covering medical institutions, research institutes, and enterprises across the entire industrial chain, including internet healthcare, basic telecommunications operations, insurance, and pharmaceuticals.

According to the organizers, the conference features more than ten classic sessions, covering every node of the “Internet + Healthcare” industry. At the sub-forum on the development of internet hospitals, leaders from Chinese and U.S. internet hospitals and telemedicine experts will gather to discuss how to optimize hospital resource allocation, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the quality of medical services via the internet, while envisioning the new model of hospitals in the mobile internet era.

In line with the latest trend of exploring “Internet + Healthcare” service models that has penetrated into specialized fields, the conference has specially established three sub-forums: the Internet-based Tiered Diagnosis and Treatment plus Chronic Disease Management Forum, the Internet Healthcare Innovation Development and Precision Medicine Forum, and the Internet + Maternal and Child Health Forum. These forums will discuss appropriate healthcare service models and pathways for translational research based on the characteristics of different diseases and populations.

“Internet + Pharmaceuticals” and “Internet + Insurance and Finance” are vital components of the “Internet + Healthcare” industry chain. Senior executives from multinational pharmaceutical companies will share their practical experiences in leveraging the “Internet +” model to transform and diversify drug distribution channels. Leaders from major domestic and international commercial banks and insurance companies will provide in-depth insights into how financial and insurance institutions can capitalize on the “Internet +” trend to pursue win-win collaborations with healthcare organizations and enterprises.

Meanwhile, the conference has specially established an Innovation Exhibition Zone for Internet Healthcare, bringing together leading domestic internet and informatization organizations to showcase the latest technologies, applications, and products in “Internet + Health.” This exhibit will demonstrate to attendees from home and abroad the cutting-edge technologies and developmental achievements of China’s internet healthcare sector.

The conference has now entered the guest invitation phase. For the latest updates, please visit the official conference website at icih.h.gov.cn or follow the official WeChat account (WeChat ID: WIHCwuzhen).