Carestream devoted to development of nation's medical sector

What competitive advantages do you have in China and where does demand for your products come from?

As a foreign-funded enterprise, Carestream has achieved a real localization in China, from senior executives to R&D personnel, all from China. More importantly, we are accurately adapting to the development of China's economy and our core competitiveness in services speaks for us.

What role has your company's business in China played in your global business during the years of development in the Chinese market?

At present, Carestream provides products and services for more than 35,000 large, medium and small medical institutions in China. The company's global R&D center in Shanghai has become an important innovation base alongside the R&D center of the US headquarters.

China has become the world's second-largest market for medical devices. Carestream has maintained double-digit growth in China, and the country has become the largest market for the group in the world.

What experience can you share with other foreign companies for their developments in the Chinese market?

Compared with the beginning of reform and opening-up, China has undergone tremendous changes that are well known to all. How to adapt to these changes, seek more opportunities to participate in cooperation and continue to share the dividends of China's development is also a new topic for foreign investment.

We believe that growth in the next decade will not be in the United States or Europe. The center of development will be in emerging markets, especially China.

What's the biggest challenge China faces today and how can the country overcome it?

With industrialization, urbanization, an aging population, changes in the disease spectrum and changes in the ecological environment and lifestyle, the maintenance of people's health is facing a series of new challenges, and the unbalanced and inadequate development of health is also one of the important factors restricting people's growing need for a better life.

With the implementation of new medical reforms, the concept of diagnosis and treatment is transferring from hospital-centered to patient-centered care. The core competitiveness of hospitals lies in accelerating and improving the quality of medical services and improving patients' medical experience.

What are your plans to further develop the Chinese market over the next three to five years?

The development of Carestream in the future will conform to two trends: First, the focus of China's medical device market shifting from high-end to middle and low-end; and second, the development of digitalization and informatization.

Carestream plans to establish a second R&D center specially for Chinese and Asian customers in the future in order to better meet the diversified needs of China's grassroots medical institutions, private hospitals and other markets.