From German surgeons flying to Hangzhou to observe advanced cancer procedures to Chinese doctors performing remote operations on patients thousands of miles away, East China's Zhejiang province is earning global recognition for its healthcare sector.

Far from being chance events, these developments reflect years of investment, innovation, and the province's ambitious medical initiative, which aims to build world-class public hospitals and tackle some of the most challenging medical problems worldwide.

In July, Professor Arthur Rebelo, a visceral surgery expert from Germany, visited Hangzhou after learning about pioneering research by Professor Liang Tingbo's team at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. During his visit, he observed a radical pancreatic cancer resection combined with autologous small intestine transplantation. He said he hoped to introduce the technique in Germany in the future, noting that such patients once had virtually no hope of recovery.

International visits like this are now routine for the hospital. In the first half of 2025, it received collaboration requests from more than 20 institutions in 19 countries and regions. Visiting physicians do more than observe — they take part in multidisciplinary discussions, case diagnoses, and treatment exchanges.

Zhejiang's hospitals are also taking domestically developed medical devices and technologies abroad. On July 22, Professor Wang Jian'an, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, guided two transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgeries at Kocaeli University Hospital in Turkiye using Chinese-developed devices.

Digital healthcare is another of Zhejiang's strengths. On July 19, during the Society of Robotic Surgery Congress in Strasbourg, France, Professor Liang Xiao from Zhejiang University's Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital remotely operated on a patient in Hangzhou, controlling a surgical robot in real time via a 5G network. The live demonstration drew praise from international colleagues.

The hospital has more than a decade of experience with surgical robots. In 2023, its team performed China's first 5G ultra-remote gallbladder removal using a domestically developed four-arm laparoscopic robot, connecting Hangzhou with a patient in Alar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, about 5,000 kilometers away. Since then, the hospital has carried out multiple ultra-remote liver and gallbladder surgeries and routinely collaborates with hospitals in Jiangshan, Shaoxing, and Wenling on remote surgeries, joint consultations, and ultrasounds.

To further strengthen its international reach, Zhejiang has launched a three-year international talent development plan, aiming to send more than 1,000 leading and mid-career medical professionals overseas for advanced training. The initiative reflects the province's commitment to high-quality healthcare development and expanding international exchanges of medical talent and technology.