Dr. He Wei: Internet Healthcare Drives Transformation in China's Medical Service Model

He Wei, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Dean of He Eye Hospital at Liaoning He University, submitted a proposal titled “Suggestions on Leveraging ‘Internet+ Healthcare’ to Support Targeted Poverty Alleviation” during this year’s Two Sessions. On the afternoon of March 5, He Wei joined Xinhua News Agency for an in-depth discussion on his views regarding how internet-based healthcare is transforming China’s medical landscape. VCBeat has summarized He Wei’s key points.

He Wei stated that the internet is rapidly penetrating various sectors of development, and healthcare is no exception. A significant proportion of China’s impoverished population falls into poverty or returns to poverty due to illness. The internet will play a crucial role in addressing poverty caused by medical expenses.

From the perspective of targeted poverty alleviation, leveraging the Internet is the most accurate approach to identifying individuals who genuinely require medical assistance. It enables the integration of comprehensive data, including the patient’s city, community, and household; household size; average income; specific diagnosis; estimated treatment costs; therapeutic outcomes; and post-treatment rehabilitation expenses. This approach holds particular significance for the vast population of rural patients.

Meanwhile, internet-based healthcare can bring about significant changes for the government, patients, and the traditional healthcare delivery model. From the patient’s perspective, the internet can be leveraged to provide public health education and preventive care guidance. It also facilitates early disease detection and timely encouragement for patients to seek treatment. Physicians in major cities can transmit patient data to mobile devices without needing to visit rural villages or townships. For common conditions such as diabetes, which does not require urban hospital treatment in its early stages, rapid detection can be achieved through blood glucose testing. Once information is transmitted via the internet, patients can be promptly advised on appropriate treatment strategies.

Previously, patients had to travel to provincial capitals to consult with more specialized physicians. Now, township and village doctors can transmit patients’ symptoms via the internet for remote diagnosis. This is particularly effective for ocular conditions; by capturing fundus photographs, clinicians can accurately identify a wide range of diseases.

Advancing Healthcare Reform: Coordination Is Crucial

This year’s Government Work Report highlights the coordinated advancement of integrated reforms in healthcare services, health insurance, and pharmaceuticals. In response, He Wei stated that while China’s healthcare reform has achieved significant successes, it has now entered a critical and complex phase. Therefore, if various departments fail to work in a coordinated manner toward a common goal, prioritizing the success of the reforms, achieving meaningful progress will be difficult. Coordination is thus paramount; only through joint efforts by all stakeholders to address the public’s healthcare needs can this issue be effectively resolved.

Furthermore, another critical factor is innovation; without it, there is no path forward. This entails not only technological innovation but also innovation in public utility management and governmental governance capabilities.

Healthcare Reform Must Address the Question of “For Whom?”

“At present, China’s healthcare reform has entered a critical phase. In the future, we need to address the question of ‘for whom the reforms are intended.’ He Wei stated that without resolving this issue, healthcare reform cannot succeed.”

First, healthcare reform is intended for all Chinese people. Within this framework, the focus of healthcare reform must be on the broad masses and working populations, with particular emphasis on rural areas—the weakest link characterized by the most severe shortages of medical care and medicines, as well as the greatest deficiencies in medical services, resources, and personnel.

Furthermore, He Wei argues that more important than reforming public hospitals is addressing the difficulties and high costs faced by grassroots residents in accessing medical care, as well as resolving issues related to job security and benefits for township and village doctors. It is also crucial to determine how funds from the national basic medical insurance and the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme should be allocated. Should these funds be spent only when patients are about to undergo surgery, or should a portion be dedicated to public health education to promote prevention? This approach would encourage better hygiene and healthcare-seeking behaviors, enabling early detection, early treatment, and early prevention, followed by intensified intervention at intermediate stages. The goal is to minimize the proportion of patients requiring intensive treatment, thereby shifting the focus of the entire care continuum toward upstream prevention. Additionally, it is essential to provide thorough training, guidance, evaluation, and support for grassroots healthcare personnel within the medical security system.

Addressing the difficulty of accessing medical care relies on the continuous expansion of high-quality medical resources.

Currently, a common phenomenon is that while the integration of the internet and healthcare has made appointment registration more convenient for some, it may have made it more difficult for the elderly and patients in remote areas. In response to this, He Wei believes that these issues are not significant for those who are unaccustomed to using the internet, as internet penetration will continue to expand in the future. For instance, mobile devices could feature a dedicated one-touch appointment button for the elderly, similar to a power switch where a single press completes the registration. Ultimately, addressing the difficulty people face in accessing medical care depends on continuously increasing high-quality medical resources to meet growing healthcare demands; this is the fundamental solution.

Source: Xinhua News Agency; Reporter: Tang Lan