Online healthcare sector moving toward multidisciplinary model

China's online healthcare industry will likely evolve toward in-depth chronic disease management, such as providing services to patients with multidisciplinary diseases, industry people said.

Wang Shirui, founder and CEO of Medlinker, an online healthcare platform that leads in chronic disease management, said the COVID-19 pandemic has driven up people's demand for internet-plus healthcare services, and existing online healthcare that currently mainly focuses on common and chronic disease management cannot meet patients increasing need for multidisciplinary disease care.

All-round and whole-process-based new online healthcare service models are expected to emerge, he said.

Medlinker has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group to jointly tap potentials in the chronic disease management, including innovative patient care models in sectors such as tumor, liver and respiratory diseases.

Xie Chengrun, president of Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group, said the two companies will make all efforts to create a new internet medical ecology that covers multidisciplinary diseases, and thus help doctors achieve standardized patient management.

At the same time, they will also provide patients with tailor-made innovative services such as e-prescriptions and online pharmacies, to establish a 'multidisciplinary, full coverage' online and offline integrated healthcare service ecosystem.

Mao Qun'an, head of the Department of Planning and Information, which is affiliated to the National Health Commission, said in a forum on smart healthcare Friday that the commission will further tap advantages of internet plus to further develop internet plus healthcare, thus increase people's satisfaction with healthcare services.

Fu Wei, director of the healthcare development center under the National Health Commission, said internet plus healthcare can effectively integrate and distribute medical and health resources of different levels, and thus improve the service capabilities of primary medical and health institutions.