40 years on

The photo from China Daily on Aug 22, 2002, showed a customer using the country’s first automatic medicine vending machine in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

The rapid development of technology and the internet has changed the medical service sector.

Instead of physically seeing a doctor, patients can consult doctors online and Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy. receive diagnoses and treatment options.

In March 2015, the Ningbo Cloud Hospital in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, began creating a regional medical network for residents that includes the resources of all public hospitals and community clinics in the city.

The country’s first such platform connects more than 100 healthcare organizations and 200 doctors and family physicians. Internetbased healthcare, a new branch of the industry that steps beyond traditional hospitals, is a trend that is emerging.

The State Council, China’s Cabinet, issued a guideline in April to promote health services using internet technologies.

The guidelines on “Internet Plus Healthcare” said internet technologies should be used to offer medical and public health services, promote family doctor practices, improve drug supply and medical bill payments, and provide medical education.

According to a recent industry report released by VCBeat Research, more than 80 companies are working on AI for the Chinese health market by developing products such as medical imaging devices, AI to analyze patients’ clinical history and chatbots.

In 2016, Baidu launched Melody the Medical Assistant, an AI-powered chatbot designed to converse with patients and collect data on their condition.