Healthcare provider gives back to the community

From cultural exchanges to healthcare promotion, Sanofi has devoted itself to living up to its corporate social responsibility initiatives in a bid to support Chinese people's health, according to the company.

Since entering the Chinese market in 1982, the French biopharmaceutical company has seen sustained rapid development in the country.

"We believe that being a qualified corporate citizen, we have to give back to our communities we live and work in," said Pius S. Hornstein, general manager of Sanofi China.

Since 2011, the company has joined hands with the French embassy in China to organize themed activities for child patients such as mime, painting and photography shows and violin concerts.

In April, the two sides cooperated in an activity involving long-exposure photographic light paintings for young people with hemophilia to open up their inner creativity and artistry.

The nine-year collaboration with the embassy is part of Sanofi's efforts to provide more care to children in need, the executive said.

Over the years, the Sanofi Hope Volunteer Group has brought care to more than 50,000 children across the country, according to the company.

"We are dedicated to increasing access to healthcare for Chinese people," Hornstein said.

In cooperation with the stroke prevention committee of the National Health Commission, Sanofi has supported the training of nearly 100,000 healthcare service providers to raise stroke awareness among the elderly in China.

"We are also committed to sharing our knowledge with Chinese physicians and ultimately helping them achieve high-quality healthcare every day," he said.

Sanofi stepped early into Chinese counties to serve millions of people who lacked medical resources, and make sure those with rare diseases are not forgotten about, he added.

In 2011, Sanofi began setting up grassroots medical offices in counties across China.

By the end of 2017, the company had opened such offices in more than 140 counties around the country, helping to train more than 235,000 doctors while promoting better solutions and standardized therapy philosophies.

In 2018, Sanofi China signed a strategic agreement with the Meishan city government in Sichuan province and the China Diabetes Innovation Alliance to invest in an innovative diabetes management project in the city.

The project is aimed at setting up a platform based on the utilization of big data and artificial intelligence to improve treatment abilities and offer personalized education to patients, in a bid to raise healthcare awareness and create a more functional interaction between doctors and patients.

"As a health journey partner and a responsible corporate citizen, we believe saving a life is beyond providing therapies and advancing innovation," Hornstein said.

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/06/2019 page12)