In China, the growth rate of the pharmaceutical industry is higher than that of GDP, and the proportion of pharmaceutical industry in the national industry is increasing continuously, which reflects the "sunrise" attribute of the industry. The growth rate of sales revenue of public hospitals in large and medium-sized cities has declined obviously, and more sales are diverted to the second and third market terminals. From the perspective of market segmentation in the field of treatment (such as anti-cancer), there are still huge rigid opportunities, which deserve further cultivation.

University of Manchester China Centre Alumni Healthcare Club Spring Festival Tea Party was held on Saturday Jan. 26th 2019. With over 30% of UoM China Centre alumni coming from the healthcare industry, the alumni healthcare club has been active with expanding influence since its establishment five years ago.

In 2019, UoM China Centre launches “International Healthcare Leadership Programme”. As the kick-off club event for the new year, the 4-hour session witnessed the club committee transition, elaborated on 2018 hot spots and talked about Artificial Intelligence applications in healthcare.

PART 1

Professor Zhang, director of marketing department of China National Pharmaceutical Industry Information Center and senior pharmaceutical information researcher, was invited to discuss 2018 pharmaceutical industry development status and major hot events interpretation, especially on industry data and major events where future direction of industrial development were explored. Recent policy with profound impact on the industry were also interpreted, such as the institutional reform of ministries and commissions, 4+7 purchasing with volume, the new version of the basic medicine catalogue, and the adjustment of the deadline for consistency evaluation.

PART 2

Dr. Jian Li, founder of UoM China Centre alumni AI and Big Data Club, President of University of Manchester China Centre Alumni Healthcare Club Committee, head of Healthcare, Intel IoT Group China (AI & Edge Computing for Health), dlivered a talk themed 'AI for Med, AI for Good', particularly on the value of AI for Health, the current status and challenges of AI applications in Healthcare, and the future trends e.g. edge computing and precision medicine.

PART 3

Shelley Lai, University of Manchester China Centre Alumni Healthcare Club former President, welcomed all for coming.

Audrey Lu, University of Manchester China Centre Alumni Healthcare Club Vice President (2 terms), hosted discussion sessions.

Last but not least, University of Manchester China Centre Alumni Healthcare Club Spring Festival Tea Party welcomed new committee members, continuing to gather UoM alumni who are interested in learning more about healthcare industry and looking forward to a new chapter together with the China Centre!