Baidu Doctor Aims to Become the Premier Gateway Connecting Patients and Healthcare Providers

At the reMed Conference on July 10, Li Zheng, General Manager of the Strategic Planning and Cooperation Department of Baidu’s Emerging Business Group, gave an exclusive interview to VCBeat. While sharing Baidu’s latest advancements and future plans in the healthcare sector with the industry, he also conveyed Baidu’s determination to continue building an open ecosystem.

General Manager, Strategic Planning and Cooperation Department, Baidu Emerging Business Group

Baidu will become the primary gateway connecting patients with doctors, and doctors with service providers.

Li Zheng’s Emerging Business Group was formed early this year through the merger of Baidu’s former NBG (New Business Group), CBG (Consumer Business Group), and GBU (Global Business Unit). Among these, the NBG primarily focused on vertical sectors such as healthcare and finance.

Li Zheng believes that the internet healthcare sector exhibits two key characteristics: first, it is a typical O2O (Online-to-Offline) industry; second, the healthcare industry remains a state-dominated sector operating within the public system. Therefore, Baidu’s entry into internet healthcare began by addressing pain points within the public system. Baidu aims to eliminate geographic disparities in medical information asymmetry and enable more rational allocation of resources.

“For instance, top-tier tertiary hospitals in major cities are overwhelmed with patients, making it difficult for doctors to attend to everyone; yet many of these patients do not actually need to seek care at such facilities. Moreover, in many rural areas and second- and third-tier cities, the issue is not a lack of physicians—there are indeed competent doctors—but rather that patients may be unaware of their availability,” said Li Zheng. He stated that Baidu aims to leverage its positioning technology, search capabilities, and precision-matching algorithms to help patients quickly locate the most suitable doctors nearby.

It is reported that Baidu Doctor serves as the breakthrough point for Baidu’s healthcare business. Baidu aims to achieve a focused initial breakthrough, striving to make Baidu Doctor the leading platform in China within two years. Subsequently, Baidu Doctor will facilitate communication between doctors and patients, as well as among physicians. Doctors will also be able to search professional literature, review prescriptions, prescribe medications, and even integrate with social insurance systems. Currently, Baidu Doctor has launched its services in nine provinces and municipalities: Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Fujian. Soon, Baidu Doctor is poised to become the primary gateway connecting patients and healthcare providers.

Baidu plays the role of the most comfortable and fastest intercity high-speed rail.

Li Zheng introduced that over the past 15 years since its establishment, Baidu has been dedicated to connecting people with information, and is now transitioning from connecting people with information to connecting people with services.

In this transformation process, Baidu will serve as the most comfortable and high-speed intercity bullet train, rapidly delivering services to patients while accurately and swiftly conveying patient needs to service providers. As Robin Li, founder of Baidu, stated, Baidu aims to connect all 3,600 industries. In the healthcare sector, Baidu will build a new ecosystem based on health and medical services, encompassing hospitals, physicians, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, as well as medical insurance and commercial insurers.

Baidu commands the largest information traffic gateway. Baidu registers 6 billion daily search clicks, while mobile Baidu Maps and location-based services handle 10 billion daily requests. Of the combined 16 billion requests, 10% are related to seeking medical advice and treatment, second only to news and entertainment. Among these, over 26 million users conduct searches related to “medical health”; 25 million users search for “disease-related” information; more than 3 million users search for “hospital-related” information; and over 500,000 users search for “doctor-related” information. In building an open ecosystem, Baidu aims to channel these medical consultation demands to its partners.

Baidu's Product Line in the Internet Healthcare Sector

No controlling stakes, no factionalism, no fear of user attrition

Robin Li has publicly stated that Baidu will always adhere to its three “No” principles: First, it will not seek controlling stakes; Baidu is firmly positioned as a tool provider, with investments focused on minority equity holdings. Second, it will not divide into factions; whether dealing with BAT giants or startups, Baidu aims to foster collaboration for mutual benefit. Third, it is not afraid of user attrition; Baidu is willing to channel its traffic to all suppliers.

“Baidu has never independently ventured into any vertical industry throughout its history; it has consistently focused on strategic investments and building an open ecosystem, never closing the door to collaboration,” Li Zheng told VCBeat.

Moreover, Baidu is also engaging in comprehensive resource synergy and inter-departmental collaboration internally. Products such as Baidu Wallet and Baidu Nuomi have the potential to be integrated into Baidu’s healthcare-related offerings. “We do not want each of our business units to become startup-like companies, as this would prevent us from maximizing our overall strength.”

Li Zheng's Profile:

General Manager, Strategic Planning and Partnerships Department, Baidu Emerging Business Group

Li Zheng brings extensive experience in leading diverse teams and driving deep industry expansion. At Baidu, he is fully responsible for strategic partnerships and business development in emerging sectors, including healthcare, education, finance, and security.

Prior to joining Baidu, Mr. Li Zheng served as General Manager of Microsoft’s Government Affairs Division in China, where he oversaw government relations and sales operations targeting the government, education, and healthcare sectors. As a recipient of the Bill Gates Award, Microsoft’s highest global honor, his outstanding contributions to advancing government relations and expanding business operations for Microsoft in China were widely recognized by senior leadership.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Li Zheng worked at IBM China, where he served as the National Sales Director for the transportation industry. He also held positions as Vice Chairman of the Beijing Communications and Information Association, Expert Member of the Jilin Provincial Information Expert Advisory Committee, and Senior International Economic Advisor to the Shaanxi Provincial Government.