Local medical facilities are adopting management and health services in line with international standards, experts told an international medical symposium.

SinoUnited Health said it learned from the world-leading US-based Mayo Clinic how to introduce a female health service model with both general medicine and specialized medicine, which is new in China.

“Serving female patients is not only gynecology but also multiple issues such as menopause health, breast health, sex health, female cardiovascular disease, and mental health status,” said Dr Yan Yiwen, director of the SinoUnited Health’s Women’s Health Center.

“In the West, a general practitioner usually offers comprehensive health checkups and services to female patients and then introduces relevant specialized doctors to do joint health management, which can not only improve the efficiency of disease diagnosis and treatment but also improve patient management quality,” Yan said. “Medical staff can really become female patients’ partners.”

In China, female patients usually go to different departments to see doctors specializing in different areas. It is disease-centered healthcare rather than a health management-centered model.

“During our practice, we have accepted patients with one demand but being who are then detected with other problems and we help them work out appropriate intervention plans with GPs and specialists,” Shi said.

“During my trip to the Mayo Clinic, I was inspired by their practice and sent teams to go to the US to learn from their model and experience,” said Dr Kathy Shi, founder and chief executive of SinoUnited Health. “Comprehensive management is more beneficial to female patients.”

Expatriate experts agreed with the importance of comprehensive and individualized management of women’s health.

Dr Sandhya Pruthi from Mayo Clinic introduced personalized risk assessment for breast cancer and the importance of personalized practice in clinical operation and categorized patient management.

Ti Gong