Digital progress

Digitalization is a significant part of Jiashan's medical services push under the Healthy China 2030 plan. According to the county government, at least 18 major projects totaling 10 billion yuan have been rolled out for "full use of digital means to improve the level of medical and health services by digital empowerment, and enhance the experience of and access to medical treatment by intelligent means".

Wu Xuan, head of Jiashan's health bureau, said the county is comprehensively investing in medical care, with an emphasis on the prevention of chronic illnesses in rural communities.

"Our residents may find it difficult to access the advanced healthcare in nearby big cities, so we are fully tapping high-tech, digital platforms to narrow the gap," Wu said.

"We're using big data to keep track of the health trends among residents, reporting their ailments, treatments and progress. We're building the facilities and networks to bridge medical services in the cities and villages."

Biodata and information on villagers' health and medical needs are stored on digital platforms and easily accessed, including via smartphone apps. This allows healthcare professionals to coordinate diagnosis and treatment through virtual networks assisted by AI speech recognition and other high-tech channels, Wu said. This effectively overcomes physical and geographical barriers for medical services, he added.

Smartphone apps help residents "pick a suitable doctor to consult", and they can check their healthcare profiles after online consultations, Wu said. "We can say that the residents have a 24-hour health manager."

Jiashan has set up health profiles for about 540,000 people, including residents and people from other areas, giving the county a health profile rate of nearly 92 percent, Wu said.

Bureau deputy head Chen Yuefeng said the county is focusing on medical "hardware and software" for inclusive growth.

"Health is wealth. We attract doctors and other specialists to spend time in the community hospitals and centers, reaching out to the grassroots," Chen said.

Recognizing the importance of drawing medical professionals and other talent to its facilities, the county offers work, training and research incentives and programs, including individual subsidies of up to 1.58 million yuan. More than 30 high-level healthcare specialists have headed to Jiashan since last year, an increase of more than 30 percent year-on-year.