Digital technologies are opening up new possibilities for making medical services more accessible, from artificial intelligence-assisted clinical applications to efforts to bring specialist expertise to primary-level healthcare institutions.
Turning these possibilities into practical services for communities was a key topic at a smart healthcare roundtable held in Beijing in early November, bringing together Chinese and overseas medical professionals, healthcare businesses and institution representatives.
The roundtable was a thematic event of the 15th China Overseas Investment Fair, hosted by the China Overseas Development Association.
Representatives from the League of Arab States, Turkiye, Pakistan, Russia, Iraq, Brazil, Cuba, Namibia, and the Comoros shared their countries' healthcare priorities, including gaps in primary-level services and demand for digital healthcare. Many expressed interest in cooperating with Chinese partners on smart healthcare and medical industry investment.
In the meeting, hospital administrators and clinical experts discussed how digital technologies could support hospital operations and the development of medical specialties. Topics included group-based hospital management, national regional medical centers, and applications ranging from AI-assisted cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation based on traditional Chinese medicine, wound repair, and childhood scar prevention and treatment.
Participants also discussed the challenges of expanding AI applications in healthcare.
Another discussion focus was extending professional medical support to grassroots communities. The Beijing Society for Tissue Injury Repair introduced its Healthy Journey Along the Long March public welfare project, which plans to organize multidisciplinary medical specialists to provide free consultations and assistance in primary-level communities.
Coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March (1934-36), the initiative will use a smart healthcare information platform to support technology deployment, academic exchanges and professional training.
Pharmaceutical and medical device companies also presented developments in clinical nutrition, anti-infective wound care, cardiovascular devices, chronic disease testing, and women's reproductive health, sharing examples of domestic innovations entering practical applications and overseas markets.
Participants discussed how clinical needs, technological innovation and overseas market demand could be better connected, with digital technologies driving stronger primary healthcare and international cooperation.
