Eye disease Internet hospital network opens in Shanghai

An eye disease diagnosis and treatment network for the Yangtze River Delta region has been established at Shanghai Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital.

The network integrates the expertise of 141 medical facilities in Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.

It will regulate medical practice, build capacity and promote new technologies and skills among members, allowing patients to receive the same quality and standard of medical services wherever they live.

"The network will offer education, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation as well as a combination of online and offline services for the convenience of patients and to enhance the region's medical capability," said Dr Zhou Xingtao, president of Shanghai Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital and head of the network.

"Patients in other provinces needn't go all the way to hospitals in Shanghai for treatment," Zhou added.

With the rising number of elderly people in China, the incidence and quantity of patients with cataract and diabetic retinopathy keep increasing, experts said. In 2021, people aged over 65 years made up 14.2 percent of the population.

"With the Internet hospital format, we want to better integrate and enhance the medical ability in the region and our hospital has achieved good results after trials with hospitals in cities like Ningbo, Huzhou, Nanning and Hefei," Zhou said.

"Our network will expand from the current 14 hospitals in nine cities to improve communication with hospitals in neighboring cities."