Across China: Telemedicine boosts medical services in Northwest China

YINCHUAN -- A 15-day-old baby in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, had a rash all over the body that kept recurring despite targeted treatment.

This caused great anxiety for the baby's family, who at one point considered transferring the infant to Beijing, the Chinese capital, for further medical treatment.

However, the cost of arranging an ambulance for the newborn's long journey would be considerable. Getting an appointment with a specialist in Beijing was also extremely difficult.

Upon the doctor's recommendation, the family sought help from the city's national expert remote diagnosis and treatment center in the First People's Hospital of Yinchuan. They contacted Zhang Bin, a doctor in the pediatric dermatology department at Beijing Children's Hospital. After a joint consultation, it was determined that the child's condition was not a rash, but a rare disease called incontinentia pigmenti.

The expert gave a detailed medication plan, which was implemented by the doctor in Yinchuan. Thanks to the timely remote medical service, the child's symptoms have improved significantly.

This is just one among over 3,000 cases treated by the center with the help of renowned experts from top hospitals in major cities. The telemedicine service allows patients to be diagnosed quickly by experts in Beijing and Shanghai without having to travel to those cities, saving on non-medical expenses and allowing patients to use local medical insurance.

"In recent years, the number of medical experts working for our telemedicine service has doubled, enabling faster and more accurate telemedicine services," said Zhang Wei, a staff member at the Yinchuan national expert remote diagnosis and treatment center.

So far, more than 900 experts from Beijing, Shanghai and other cities have provided remote clinic services for local patients, which has increased acceptance and recognition of the service, Zhang said.

In recent years, the integration of the Internet and the medical field has brought revolutionary changes. Now, all Chinese cities and counties are covered by telemedicine services, which are particularly important for remote western regions or grassroots medical institutions.

Ningxia has introduced a series of policies to support online hospitals. It has established a five-level telemedicine system and built remote electrophysiology, imaging, ultrasound and pathology diagnostic centers.

At the Yinchuan remote imaging diagnostic center, a screen shows diagnosis data uploaded by multiple townships and community health centers being updated in real time.

The platform provides round-the-clock remote diagnosis services to grassroots medical institutions, handling an average of 300 to 500 cases per day, according to Cao Ye, secretary of the Radiology Department of the First People's Hospital of Yinchuan.

"No technicians here could provide diagnostic imaging reports. But with the remote system, patients can get the results on their smartphones within half an hour," said Yang Jianqiang, a radiology technician at a township health center in the Jinfeng district of Yinchuan. "This allows them to enjoy the radiology diagnostic services of first-class hospitals."

The First People's Hospital of Yinchuan offers training for local radiologists and technicians every year to help them improve their skills in operating radiological equipment.

"I've become more skilled in the past few years. With the help of doctors from first-class hospitals via remote medical services, patients feel more reassured when they come to us for medical treatment," Yang said.