Delegation Led by ESMEA Global President Bosman Visits Shanghai General Hospital

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wbmb8hX_ruNNcJs5xlndZA

On August 2, Mr. Bosman, Global President of the European Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ESMEA), Dr. Hussein, President of ELYSIO Rehabilitation Group (Germany), Mr. Zhang Heqiang, Investment President of Huaxi Hope Group, and Ms. Wang Xiuli, ESMEA China President, visited Shanghai General Hospital. They were received by President Zheng Xingdong, Vice President Hu Guoyong, Director Liu Fang of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department, Director Shen Yue and Deputy Director Feng Yi of the International Medical Care Center (IMCC), Prof. Chen Wenhua, Academic Leader of Rehabilitation Medicine, Prof. Yu Bo, Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and other representatives. The two sides held in-depth discussions on topics including China–Europe international medical tourism cooperation and China–Germany rehabilitation medicine collaboration. Relevant members from the International Cooperation and Exchange Department and the IMCC also attended the meeting.

Vice President Hu Guoyong extended a warm welcome to the guests from Germany, expressing the hope that this exchange would deepen mutual understanding, enhance trust, and foster cooperation, leading to tangible results in international medical services, resource sharing, joint discipline development, and talent cultivation.

Mr. Bosman outlined ESMEA’s development strategy and global network, highlighting its role as a bridge in helping German enterprises “go global.” He emphasized the vast potential for cooperation between China and Europe in green development, healthcare, and digital transformation, and expressed ESMEA’s willingness to continue promoting practical collaboration in policy coordination, technical exchange, and resource sharing, thereby injecting new momentum into the growth of SMEs worldwide.

ESMEA China President Wang Xiuli gave a detailed introduction to ESMEA’s organizational structure, operational mechanisms, service system, and international cooperation achievements. As a cross-sector, politically independent, non-profit, multinational NGO, ESMEA is dedicated to providing comprehensive business support and services for SMEs in Europe and globally. Representing approximately 500,000 affiliated enterprises across 18 countries and 20 key industrial sectors, its core mission includes promoting trade and investment, assisting market development, facilitating bilateral cooperation, and supporting members’ sustainable growth through business delegations, legal consulting, professional training, and other services. Leveraging its extensive global network and industry resources, ESMEA has become an important bridge for international SME cooperation. Wang noted that China, as a leading manufacturing power and an emerging market of global significance, is a priority region for advancing Asia–Europe cooperation. In recent years, ESMEA has actively organized two-way business exchanges and project matchmaking between Chinese and European enterprises, achieving substantive results in fields such as medical rehabilitation, smart agriculture, and new energy.

Dr. Hussein presented an overview of ELYSIO Rehabilitation Group, one of Germany’s leading physiotherapy providers, renowned for integrating cutting-edge technology with humanistic care to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. Headquartered in Berlin, ELYSIO operates clinics in Charlottenburg, Mitte, and Schwarzheide, Brandenburg, bringing together highly qualified treatment teams and advanced equipment. Its services cover medical sports therapy, neurorehabilitation, fascia therapy, and more. Guided by the core philosophy “Healing is just the beginning; the true goal is a better life,” Dr. Hussein detailed the group’s development strategy, specialties, and future plans. ELYSIO focuses on individualized treatment and functional recovery, providing rigorous, patient-centered care to achieve long-term health management goals. The group is actively expanding its partnerships with global medical institutions and sports organizations, aiming to complete its German strategic network by the end of 2025, operating five specialized clinics to serve more patients with high-quality rehabilitation services.

Director Liu Fang introduced Shanghai General Hospital’s overall development and international cooperation efforts, highlighting its comprehensive strengths as a major Class III Grade A hospital in Shanghai. She emphasized the hospital’s achievements in international medical collaboration, long-term partnerships with leading global medical institutions, and substantial results in cross-border medical services, academic exchanges, and talent training — all of which provide a solid foundation for further cooperation.

Director Shen Yue and Deputy Director Feng Yi jointly reported on the development of the IMCC. Shen reviewed the center’s milestones since the establishment of its outpatient department in 1956 and inpatient department in 1961, underscoring three key advantages as Shanghai’s only public hospital providing 24-hour international medical services: 1）A patient network covering more than 70 countries; 2）Multilingual service capacity (Chinese, English, Russian, Japanese, French, etc.); 3）Direct billing with international insurers such as Cigna and Allianz.

Feng elaborated on the IMCC’s organizational structure, facilities, and the functional layout of its northern and southern campuses, introducing its innovative GP–SP (General Practitioner & Specialist) collaborative care model and personalized health management system.

Prof. Chen Wenhua and Prof. Yu Bo presented the achievements of the Rehabilitation Medicine discipline. Chen discussed the significance of CARF international accreditation and the 500-bed rehabilitation network established through medical alliances, highlighting innovations such as the first domestic application of psychomotor therapy in elderly chronic disease management and the department’s leading position in pediatric cerebral palsy rehabilitation in Shanghai. Yu focused on clinical breakthroughs and translational research, outlining the integrated orthopedic rehabilitation model, including daily orthopedic ward rounds and embedded ward management for ultra-early rehabilitation. He presented outcome data on botulinum toxin injections, intra-articular therapies, and other specialties, as well as recent research achievements funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and published in high-impact SCI journals.

During discussions, both sides explored cooperation in areas such as aligning Chinese and German rehabilitation standards, establishing two-way medical service channels, jointly training dual-certified rehabilitation therapists, and co-developing a “Sino-German Advanced Rehabilitation Center.” Wang noted that ESMEA member companies in China have significant demand for both long-term and temporary medical services, with over 9,000 German enterprises concentrated in the Shanghai region, offering strong prospects for collaboration. Chen proposed deepening exchanges in rehabilitation medicine talent training and developing Sino-German joint educational programs. Zheng emphasized that Germany’s world-leading rehabilitation expertise and China’s strengths in medical efficiency and resource integration create strong complementarity and broad opportunities for cooperation.

As a 161-year-old Class III Grade A general hospital and a designated pilot institution for international medical tourism, Shanghai General Hospital has mature capabilities in serving overseas patients and has successfully provided care for numerous foreign nationals in recent years. The hospital is confident in delivering professional and efficient medical services to German enterprises and the broader international community in China. Looking ahead, the hospital will continue to deepen openness, actively expand cooperation in rehabilitation technology translation, international medical tourism, and talent cultivation, contributing to the development of Sino-German rehabilitation medicine and to global health and well-being.

The meeting concluded with lively exchanges and many ideas for future cooperation. Shanghai General Hospital reaffirmed its commitment to openness and global medical collaboration, to promoting the sharing of high-quality healthcare resources, advancing the integration of rehabilitation techniques and service concepts, and contributing the strength of “Shanghai General” to the goals of Healthy China and global health governance.

Following the meeting, Mr. Bosman and his delegation toured the International Medical Care Center.

Editor：Wang Yuhan, Gu Ming, International and Cooperation Department