Hainan's innovative policy model attracts international medical tourism

Top health officials, scholars and international medical experts gathered Friday in Sanya, Hainan province, to explore new models for global medical collaboration, with China's only special medical zone emerging as a testing ground for innovative policies.

The Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone is accelerating healthcare openness through a unique framework combining top-tier hospitals and international facilities, said Zhang Guangpeng, deputy director of Hainan's health commission.

Since opening in 2023, the LECZCORE Hainan Mellsser Hospital has partnered with leading global institutions to attract medical tourism and develop a replicable "Hainan Model", positioning the province as a window for "Healthy China", he added.

Jia Ning, director of the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration, highlighted policies that expedite allowing cutting-edge drugs and devices to enter China. "We're building a one-stop gateway for premium medical resources," he said, citing tighter government-business coordination under the Hainan Free Trade Port policies.

At the World Medical Integration Trends and Empowerment Free Trade Port Forum, Liu Xiangli, president of the innovative Chinese medical brand LECZCORE, shared achievements from partnerships with international medical institutes, announcing plans to co-establish a certification system with the Mayo Clinic to develop localized oncology and health management standards.

Mayo Clinic's Stacey A. Rizza praised its partnership with LECZCORE and noted their joint development of China-specific cancer diagnostics and AI tools.

Backed by preferential policies, LECZCORE is rolling out AI-driven longevity programs to extend healthy lifespans by a decade through predictive analytics and personalized rehab.

SGK Medical Center's Van Limburg proposed pairing Swiss treatments with Hainan's tropical rehab therapies, calling it an ideal "treatment in Switzerland, recovery in Hainan" model.

Renowned cardiologist Hu Dayi called for US-China medical collaboration and revealed plans to build a psycho-cardiology demonstration base in Hainan province with the LECZCORE Hainan Mellsser Hospital as China's first cardiovascular rehabilitation model.

The summit organizers said the event underscored Hainan province's shift from a policy experiment to a global health innovation hub - a transformation with implications for the whole world.