Made-in-China medical equipment wins applause in Morocco

SHANGHAI, May 31 (Xinhua) -- When Faouzi Habib decided to introduce a made-in-China MRI machine into his hospital seven years ago, most people did not recognize his decision. But over the past years, the machine's good imaging quality and operating system have helped doctors seize the window period for early diagnosis and treatment for local patients.

Habib founded the hospital, Clinique Tour Hassan, a private oncology medical institution in Morocco, in 1995. According to him, in the past, the medical imaging equipment used in Morocco was basically from Europe and the United States.

The MRI machine Habib introduced from China was developed by United Imaging, a private enterprise founded in 2011 in Shanghai. So far, United Imaging has developed a series of medical imaging and radiotherapy products and life science instruments, and can provide medical digitization and medical artificial intelligence solutions.

"What impressed me most was the local people's impression of made-in-China products has improved a lot," said Che Tianjunyi, an engineer with United Imaging, who just came back from Morocco. "They also believe that China's 'smart manufacturing' is not just for a high-end pursuit, but that the easy-to-use and rich product line can meet the needs of different types of local hospitals."

Ali Jammal Eddine, a radiologist at Clinique Tour Hassan, knows how important accurate equipment is for clinical diagnosis and treatment. He plans to add a women's health center, where breast cancer screening will be important work. He hopes to have more smart medical equipment from China to help improve the local survival rate of cancer.

Statistics show that breast cancer topped the list of cancers diagnosed in Morocco last year, and early screening with imaging equipment has increased the proportion of conservative treatment in the country from 22 percent to 40 percent last year.

According to Chen Haitao, deputy head of the Ruijin Hospital of the School of Medicine at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the executive head of the Institute for Medical Imaging Technology jointly built by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ruijin Hospital and United Imaging, the institute not only focuses on clinical problems in China but also pays attention to the clinical needs of other countries.

Combining the thoughts and suggestions of front-line medical personnel on clinical issues, the institute promotes the rapid transformation of innovative results through in-depth integration of production, education, research and medicine, and constantly meets the unmet needs in clinical practice, Chen said.