WeChat mini program launched for osteoporosis patients

The country's leading medical experts in osteoporosis, which affects one in three Chinese aged 65 and above, launched a mini program in WeChat on Friday that allows the public to find the nearest diagnosis and treatment center for the disease in their cities.

The mini program provides the addresses and opening hours of hundreds of hospitals across 28 provincial-level regions that have a standard osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment center, including 24 in Beijing, 19 in Shanghai and 28 in Guangdong province, experts said at the launch ceremony of the program which was supported by the Beijing Medical Award Foundation in Shanghai.

Other types of information, such as the details of the doctors in each of the centers, will be added to the mini program in about four months, said Zhang Zhenlin, one of the experts and the director of osteoporosis and bone diseases at the No 6 People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Cheng Qun, director of metabolic bone diseases at Huadong Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University, said that it's important for osteoporosis patients to receive standardized treatment at the right place as it's becoming increasingly recognized in medical circles that the disease requires cross-disciplinary efforts from endocrinology, obstetrics, rheumatism, bone health, rehabilitation and pain management departments.

According to the latest statistics from the National Health Commission, nearly 20 percent of China's population aged 50 and above suffer from osteoporosis. Experts have suggested that patients take effective medication as well as calcium and vitamin D to increase bone density, minimize the risk of fracture, alleviate bone pain and enhance mobility.