New cardiovascular disease committee appointed in Shanghai

The Shanghai Association of Non-government Medical Institutions on Sunday announced the establishment of its Expert Committee on Cardiovascular Diseases, which is aimed at promoting the development and standardization of cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment in non-government medical institutions.

Ge Junbo, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the cardiology department of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, was appointed as the honorary chairman of the committee. Wei Meng, chairman of medicine and chief of cardiology at Jiahui Health, was appointed as chairman.

Fang Weiyi from Delta Health, Sun Baogui and Zhang Dadong from Yoda Cardiothoracic Hospital, Shi Haoying from SinoUnited Health, and Lei Zhubin from Tianyou Hospital were appointed as deputy chairpersons.

Cardiovascular diseases have become the leading cause of death for both urban and rural residents in China. More than 330 million people suffered from these diseases, according to the 2020 Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China.

In order to address the growing need for cardiovascular therapy and treatment, greater participation by relevant institutions is required, experts said.

Wei from Jiahui Health said the establishment of the expert committee will raise the overall level of expertise in cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment at non-government medical institutions.

"Future activities of the committee will include promoting industry exchanges and improving the overall level of cardiac services by organizing academic forums, building quality control systems, and developing the cardiovascular quality control platform of non-government hospitals," he said.

Yan Dongfang, chairman of the Shanghai Association of Non-government Medical Institutions, said the expert committee will also play a role in promoting health education to increase public awareness and knowledge in the cardiology field.