Top medical scientists urged for more innovation

Top Chinese medical experts urged for enhanced innovation among the practitioners in medical sector of the nation.

Cao Xuetao, president of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the country has quite limited world level medical researches and findings despite vast investment by the government into the field.

He made the remarks at a public event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, one of the top hospitals in the country which's directly supervised by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

At the clinical side, a majority of the mainstream therapies and technology were imported from the West, Cao noted.

Also, "we have few large medical appliances and medicines which are developed domestically," he added.

A previous report by the Ministry of Science and Technology said more than 80 percent of the China's large medical equipments in use were imported.

"That results in higher medical costs for the Chinese public as well," Cao said.

Wang Chen, president of China-Japan Friendship Hospital conceded the large hospitals are overburdened with receiving patients including those suffering minor diseases so they hardly have the time for medical innovation and researches.

To address that problem, Beijing has pioneered to push forward a tiered medical care service system, keeping most of minor disease patients to be treated at community level healthcare centers.

shanjuan@chinadaily.com.cn