2023-09-25

Caring for Women: Shanghai-Yunnan Cooperation to Enhance Primary Healthcare Standards Fosun Pharma and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation Launch the Pink & Blue Ribbon Public Welfare Campaign for Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening at Xishuangbanna

On September 16, 2023, Fosun Pharma and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation launched the Pink & Blue Ribbon Public Welfare Campaign for the Care for Women at the Xishuangbanna Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital with the guidance of the Health Commission and the Women's Federation of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and the assistance of the Xishuangbanna Prefectural Office in Shanghai and the Xishuangbanna Team of the Shanghai Yunnan Aid Cadre Liaison Group.



Pink & Blue Ribbon Public Welfare Campaign for Women's Health Kicked off


Xu Kehui, Standing Committee Member and Deputy Governor of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Fei Zhonghui, Deputy Secretary-General of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture Committee and Head of the Xishuangbanna Team of the Shanghai Yunnan Aid Cadre Liaison Group, Dao Qiongying, Chairperson of the Women's Federation of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Dao Wensheng, Director of the Health Commission of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Zheng Baiqiang, President of Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Zhu Yaping, Assistant Secretary-General of the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Chen Yuqing, Vice President of Fosun International and Chairperson of Fosun Health, and Lv Lilang, Vice President of Fosun Pharma and Co-CEO of the Medical Devices Division, attended the campaign launching ceremony.


On September 16, five medical experts, Sun Zhengkui, Director of the Breast Surgery Department of Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, Wang Lihua, Director of the Oncology Department of the International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital of China Welfare Institute, Wu Jiahao, Director of the Preventive Care Department of the International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital of China Welfare Institute, Zhou Jie, Vice President of Foshan Fosun Chancheng Hospital and President of Foshan Fosun Chancheng Hospital for Women and Children, and Gong Hairong, Medical Director of StarKids Children's Hospital Shanghai and Director of the Emergency Department of Children's Hospital of Fudan University, participated in various activities at Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Hospital. They conducted free clinics, specialized training, and teaching rounds and addressed patients' inquiries and difficult medical cases based on local needs in the areas of breast cancer, cervical cancer, pediatrics, and so forth.



Xu Kehui, Standing Committee Member and Deputy Governor of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, stated, "Although Shanghai and Xishuangbanna are more than 2,800 kilometers apart, they share a special and enduring friendship fortified by continuously deepening cooperation and exchanges. Today's Pink & Blue Ribbon Public Welfare Campaign is a testament to the ongoing bond between Shanghai and Yunnan. The medical and healthcare public welfare campaign, a collaboration of Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation and Fosun Pharma carried out jointly with Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Hospital, has provided technologies and services for the screening of cervical and breast cancers among eligible women in our prefecture and significantly contributed to the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of the diseases. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the executives of the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation, the entrepreneurs, and the experts for their selfless dedication and enthusiastic assistance. We sincerely hope that you will continue to support the development of people's livelihood in the Xishuangbanna border areas, reach stronger collaboration, and make more achievements. Together, we will create a model for the Shanghai-Yunnan friendship and cooperation."


Cervical cancer and breast cancer are common malignancies in women. According to data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization, breast cancer became the most common cancer globally in 2020. In China, there are approximately 420,000 new breast cancer cases each year, with an increasing incidence rate, especially among young women in urban areas.Cervical cancer is the second most common female malignancy worldwide, with nearly 110,000 new cases reported in China in 2020.To promote the Healthy China construction and improve the health of women and children, the National Health Commission issued theImplementation Plan to Achieve Major Targets in Boosting Healthcare for Women and Children in 2021-2030. This plan emphasizes the enhancement of comprehensive prevention and control capabilities for cervical cancer and breast cancer. The target is to achieve a cervical cancer screening rate of over 70% and gradually increase the screening rate for breast cancer in eligible women.



Lv Lilang, Vice President of Fosun Pharma and Co-CEO of the Medical Devices Division, who had worked at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center for over 20 years, provided detailed information about the campaign. "Fosun Pharma is an innovation-driven global pharmaceutical and health industry group founded in Shanghai and rooted in China, committed to protecting family health by providing high-quality and accessible innovative products and medical services. Breast cancer is a common malignancy in women. Population screening is an effective measure to promote the early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer and breast cancer, which has been included in basic public health services by the government. Anti-tumor treatment is one of the core treatment fields of Fosun Pharma. We eagerly hope to make a contribution to protecting women's health by giving full play to our advantages. The Pink & Blue Ribbon Public Welfare Campaign launched today aims to increase the screening rate of breast cancer and cervical cancer among Xishuangbanna women and help improve the level of primary healthcare. The campaign will provide free screenings for breast cancer and cervical cancer to over 16,000 women in Xishuangbanna and will also bring in nationally renowned medical experts to offer free clinics, training, and guidance. Additionally, the campaign will improve local medical accessibility by donating smart cancer screening solutions. The campaign also plans to provide free advanced study opportunities for local doctors in grade III level A hospitals in Shanghai and Foshan, so as to effectively improve the diagnosis and treatment capabilities of doctors in Xishuangbanna." She expected that this campaign would better contribute to Shanghai-Yunnan cooperation and bring a new stage to the public welfare cooperation between Shanghai and Xishuangbanna.



Sun Zhengkui, Director of the Breast Surgery Department at Jiangxi Cancer Hospital and Director of Jiangxi Province Breast Cancer Center, said that in recent years, the incidence of breast cancer among women has increased rapidly, and although the incidence of breast cancer in rural areas is lower than that in cities, the increasing trend is more obvious. With continuous advancements in medical technology, the survival rate of breast cancer patients has significantly improved, and their lifespan has been greatly extended. It is gradually becoming a chronic disease that can be treated and controlled, similar to hypertension and diabetes. "I am honored to participate in the Pink & Blue Ribbon Public Welfare Campaign initiated by the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation and Fosun Pharma. I hope this campaign can convey a message to local women: breast cancer is preventable and treatable; with early detection and treatment, the majority of breast cancer patients can be clinically cured. Personally, I also hope to contribute to the health of women in Xishuangbanna by providing training to local medical personnel and offering free clinic services to patients."



Medical collaboration is an important aspect of this public welfare campaign. Chen Yuqing, Vice President of Fosun International and Chairperson of Fosun Health, introduced that Fosun Health, a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma and a leading medical and healthcare technology group in China, has established a medical service platform that combines general and specialized hospitals and integrates online and offline services. Maternal and child health has always been a core focus area for Fosun Health, which actively responds to the national call for rural revitalization and continuously promotes high-quality maternal and child medical services in lower-tier regions. Taking the launch of this public welfare campaign as an opportunity, Fosun Health will leverage its strengths in clinical technology, scientific and innovative applications, and talent development in the medical field. Fosun Health will actively mobilize professional resources from its hospitals and cooperate with Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Hospital and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation to enhance healthcare standards in Xishuangbanna and jointly promote the innovative development of maternal and child health services through activities such as advanced studies, academic lectures, on-site guidance, and academic exchanges. Fosun Pharma has always upheld its corporate spirit of "helping the world" and has been safeguarding the health of more families through proactive public welfare actions. "We hope this campaign can deepen the cooperation between Shanghai and Xishuangbanna in the field of public welfare, and Fosun Pharma will continue to fulfill its social responsibility in the healthcare field, bringing health and well-being to more people."



The donation ceremony for the smart cervical and breast cancer screening solutions was also held during the launching ceremony of the campaign. The Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation presented a donation certificate to Fosun Pharma's subsidiary, Fosun Aitrox. The donated solutions aim to improve the efficiency and quality of cervical and breast cancer screening in grassroots areas and expand the coverage of screening. Fosun Aitrox, with its innovative breakthroughs in artificial intelligence-assisted analysis technology, brings high-quality medical services to grassroots areas, enhances the accessibility of high-quality medical services, and empowers early diagnosis, detection, and treatment of breast cancer and cervical cancer, safeguarding women's health.



Zhu Yaping, Assistant Secretary-General of the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation, stated, "In November of last year, in order to implement the new era's health and hygiene policies with a focus on grassroots work by the CPC, the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Fosun Pharma. With women as the main beneficiaries and service targets, the two parties jointly implement public welfare campaigns in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, which is one of Shanghai's paired assistance areas, to promote the high-quality development of primary healthcare. Together with Fosun Pharma, the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation officially initiated this public welfare campaign on the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mme. Song Ching Ling, the honorary Chairperson of the foundation. With the participation of Fosun Pharma and its subsidiaries, we will jointly support the cervical and breast cancer screening work in Xishuangbanna and train grassroots maternal and child doctors to ensure the health of rural women. I hope that with our joint efforts, the Pink & Blue Ribbon campaign can be successfully implemented and achieve positive results, contributing to the health of women and children in Xishuangbanna!"



Lectures on Basic Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Knowledge by the Medical Expert Team


On September 16, the medical expert team gave lectures on basic knowledge of the fields of breast cancer, cervical cancer, neonatology, and pediatrics at Xishuangbanna Maternity and Child Health Hospital and carried out activities such as free clinics and teaching rounds. The experts exchanged ideas with local grassroots maternal and child healthcare workers and women's rights workers, gained insights into the local healthcare situation, talked about current difficulties and issues, and held in-depth discussions about hospital management, discipline development, and talent cultivation.


"The experts have brought us new ideas in the field of diseases and provided specialized knowledge that clinical doctors usually pay less attention to. Those are all valuable experiences and have helped solve the problems we encounter in our practical work, allowing us to better serve patients and the general public," said Dr. Tan Chao, a gynecologist in Xishuangbanna.



Breast Cancer Free Clinic



Cervical Cancer Free Clinic


At the free clinic for breast cancer and cervical cancer, many patients arrived early and queued up, hoping to receive detailed consultations from the experts. "As soon as I heard about the free clinic, I rushed over to get checked. There are top experts from Shanghai, Guangdong, and Jiangxi, and it's a rare opportunity to have these experts come to our doorstep. It's more assuring when we don't have to travel to the big cities," said one patient.



Pediatric Expert Ward Rounds


During the teaching round session in the pediatric ward, Hu Zhaoqiong, a pediatrician at the Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Hospital, commented, "Practicing and learning with the experts is a valuable experience for me. I had the opportunity to have close interactions and exchange experiences with them. They were all very friendly, enthusiastic, and patient. This teaching activity has given us the chance to acquire new clinical treatment knowledge and has greatly improved our skills."



Pediatric Free Clinic


Zheng Baiqiang, President of Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Hospital, stated that the visit of the expert team to the hospital has greatly promoted the standardization of breast disease diagnosis and treatment, the training of healthcare personnel, and the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment capacity for both breast and cervical cancer in the local area.


Only when the residents are healthy can the economy and society develop well. Over the past few years, Fosun Pharma has actively participated in the Rural Doctor Health and Poverty Alleviation Program organized by the China Population Welfare Foundation and Fosun Foundation, contributing to the protection of village doctors and the development of rural healthcare systems. In 2021, Fosun Pharma and Fosun Foundation jointly initiated the Fosun Pharma Health Care Initiative. With the three major directions of healthcare, scientific research and innovation, and public donations, they are committed to meeting unmet medical needs and providing comprehensive and lifelong health services for families. In the future, Fosun Pharma will continue to actively respond to the national policy call through the Pink & Blue Ribbon Public Welfare Campaign for the Care for Women. The company will also strive to improve the quality and level of grassroots public health services, assist in promoting rural health development, and work together with all parties of society to support the construction of a healthy China and rural revitalization in the new stage of development, making greater contributions to human health and well-being.


About Fosun Pharma

Founded in 1994, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd.* ("Fosun Pharma"; stock code: 600196. SH, 02196. HK) is a global innovation-driven pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group. Fosun Pharma directly operates businesses including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical diagnosis, and healthcare services. As a shareholder of Sinopharm Co., Ltd., Fosun Pharma expands its areas in the pharmaceutical distribution and retail business.


About Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation

A public welfare foundation established in 1986 by the China Welfare Institute, Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation carries on and promotes Mme. Soong Ching Ling’s causes, taking the welfare of women and children and the harmonious development of society as its purpose and the realization of the charitable will of donors as its mission. Adhering to the principles of professionalism, specialization, and internationalization, the foundation actively promotes industry and social progress. Under the leadership of Chairpersons Wang Daohan, Lu Ping, and Jiang Liang, the Foundation has grown into a 5A Social Organization focusing on women's and children's causes with certain popularity, reputation, and brand influence. With its base in Shanghai, the foundation is serving the whole country and going global.