The IET International HealthTech Conference 2014 was held in Beijing today, during which more than 100 experts from domestic and foreign enterprises, academic circles, government agencies, charity organizations and medical institutions related to the medical health technologies discussed about the medical health technology most suitable for China, and put forward many constructive suggestions on the development of the medical technology in future.

The conference was hosted by IET, and sponsored by ARM and Neusoft. The speakers of the conference include Dr. David Clifton from the Department of Engineering Science of the University of Oxford, Dr. Wang Shan, President of Peking University International Hospital, Prof. Gari Clifford from Bioinformatics at Emory University, Dr. Xu Liqun, the Chief Scientist of China Mobile Research Institute, and medical technology researchers from Tsinghua University, ORBIS International and the George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center. They shared on the new applications in the medical treatment field such as big data, cloud and mobile terminals and introduced  affordable medical treatment solutions by analyzing and comparing the different development phases in Chinese and western medical treatment systems, which provided references for the medical reform in China.

According to the white paper Medical Healthcare in China disseminated by the State Council Information Office, there were 260 million billion patients diagnosed with chronic diseases by the end of 2012. The deaths caused by chronic diseases accounted for 85% of the total number of deaths, and disease burdens caused by chronic diseases accounted for 70% of the total number. Meanwhile, China has entered into the rapid development phase of population aging. It is estimated that the number of people above 60 years old will exceed 300 million in 2025, and the existing medical health system will undertake a heavier burden.

More than an authoritative engineering and technology organization worldwide, IET is also an organization for global academic sharing and technical exchange. The Chairman of the conference, Dr. David Clifton from Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, has been a volunteer of IET for a long time. He stated, “The medical health industry is in the unsustainable development process. Diseases have laid a heavier burden on the society both in western countries and China, thus the medical health technology has a long way to go. At the conference, we have introduced the new generation of medical health technologies and the ways of marketing and application for enterprises. Together with my colleagues in Oxford, we are trying to apply some advanced technical concepts in Britain to the existing medical health projects in China. With our efforts, we hope that more people will have better life.”

“The time for medical technology innovation is very tight. We shall expedite the informatization construction of the hospital and face the challenge of a growing number of patients,” said Dr. Wang Shan, President of Peking University International Hospital. He introduced the innovative Real-Life Medicine model at the conference. It is to provide remote monitoring and treatment for patients with modern information technology and professional medical workers, enhancing the

Dr. Xu Liqun of China Mobile Research Institute believed that the integration of mobile internet and clinical medicine practices will be the development trend for the health care sector. He said, “With the rapid introduction and extensive coverage of 4G network, the mobile medical technology can be implemented and promoted. However, the nationwide establishment of mobile health and medical information services requires the cooperation of the entire medical security industry. China Mobile Research Institute is conducting researches and experiments in this aspect.”

In addition, the participating experts also discussed about the applications of information technology and innovations in the medical treatment models that focus on cataract surgery, detection and treatment of psychological illnesses, clinical medicine and many other fields. The conference lasted for a day and as IET’s first International HealthTech Conference held in China, it was given the warm reception and affirmation by the attendees.