China poised to lead in healthier technologies
March 13, 2018 Category China News Round-up, Weekly
China could lead the way in the next healthcare breakthrough with big efforts in artificial intelligence and big data. “For years, the United States has been seen as the impeccable frontrunner for a big bang coming in the healthcare sector, in terms of money invested in digital healthcare, as well as the number of groundbreaking startups,” said Sigal Atzmon, President of Medix Group, an international company that offers medical case management. “When it comes to the implementation of trailblazing technologies in the healthcare sector, however, China is the clear leader,” Atzmon noted. Unlike the United States, where people have the “whole existing infrastructure legacy” that must be taken down and an awfully lot of stakeholders involved who may not favor a change, China has much more freedom to chart its own course and implement game-changing technologies thanks to the “late-mover advantage”, or how innovative newcomers outperform pioneers, she said.
The Belgium-born senior corporate executive, who founded Medix in 2006 after her own experience with breast cancer, believes AI technology and digital healthcare is the unique and cost-effective answer for the country’s under-doctored, underfunded and overburdened hospitals, where patients have to wait a long time or even pay large sums of money to middlemen to get appointments with renowned specialists. China’s 1.4 billion population, rapidly aging and eager for accessible, proper and high-quality healthcare services, is driving the country to press ahead with new healthcare solutions. “Government and big market players like Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu and Ping An do not just talk the talk, but they walk the walk. The major new technologies are not concepts on paper. Millions of people across the country are actually using them,” Atzmon said. Both Ping An and Tencent have launched healthcare apps encompassing medical advice, appointment booking and niche services. “In three to five years, AI technology and digital healthcare will bring fundamental changes to China’s healthcare system. User-friendly platforms like Good Doctor and We Doctor just mark the very first move,” Atzmon said, as reported by the China Daily.
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