Multiple departments jointly issued a document to promote the application of AI in the healthcare sector, ushering in new development opportunities for the intelligent medical equipment industry.

Recently, the National Health Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the National Center for Disease Control jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting and Regulating the Development of 'Artificial Intelligence + Healthcare' Applications" (Guo Wei Ban Gui Hua Fa [2025] No. 30), clearly outlining how AI technology will empower the healthcare sector to achieve high-quality growth. The document also systematically outlines key application scenarios, infrastructure development plans, and essential safety regulatory requirements. This policy is set to have a profound impact on the medical device and diagnostic instrument industries.
 

The "Opinions" clearly endorse province-level, centralized efforts to provide medical imaging-assisted diagnosis, report generation, and quality evaluation services. They also encourage hospitals at Level II and above to expand the application of AI-powered intelligent diagnostic tools—from focusing on single diseases toward broader applications covering multiple conditions within a single organ. This initiative will directly facilitate the deep integration of medical imaging equipment (such as CT, MRI, and DR) with advanced AI algorithms, thereby enhancing both diagnostic efficiency and report accuracy. Meanwhile, top-tier hospitals will spearhead the aggregation and development of high-quality medical imaging data, providing crucial support for the research and development of large-scale AI models.

In the field of rehabilitation medicine, policies advocate for the widespread adoption of intelligent medical devices such as rehabilitation robots and TCM acupuncture & tuina massage robots, aiming to achieve full coverage of smart rehabilitation services in specialized rehabilitation hospitals and rehabilitation departments of tertiary general hospitals. Meanwhile, in the traditional Chinese medicine sector, there is an encouragement to develop intelligent diagnostic tools tailored for TCM, enabling quantitative data collection from the "four diagnostic methods," while also promoting the application of smart devices like acupuncture and tuina massage robots. These initiatives will create new market opportunities for manufacturers of high-end rehabilitation equipment and TCM diagnostic instruments, driving the transformation of conventional TCM-related technologies toward digitalization and智能化 (smartification).

Regarding primary healthcare, the policy emphasizes strengthening the intelligent application of tightly integrated county-level medical consortia, while enhancing the efficiency of resource-sharing centers for medical imaging diagnostics, electrocardiogram analysis, pathology diagnosis, and more. It is anticipated that primary healthcare institutions will see a significant increase in demand for portable diagnostic devices and remote monitoring equipment.

In the field of public health, policies call for strengthening infectious disease surveillance and early warning systems, as well as enhancing health emergency management. This includes advancing the upgrade of intelligent epidemiological investigation systems and optimizing applications such as pathogen detection and syndromic analysis. These efforts will drive the research, development, and deployment of smart diagnostic devices, rapid screening tools, and advanced medical equipment for emergency response.

Additionally, the policy clearly encourages medical equipment manufacturers to collaborate with healthcare institutions and research institutes on tackling key challenges in the development of smart medical devices. It emphasizes advancing the intelligent upgrading of equipment in areas such as medical imaging, diagnostic testing, treatment, monitoring, and life support systems—and also supports the initial (first-of-its-kind) application of domestically produced smart medical devices in healthcare facilities.

The issuance of the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting and Regulating the Development of 'Artificial Intelligence + Healthcare' Applications' has charted a clear path for technological upgrades and market expansion in the medical device and diagnostic instrument industries. As artificial intelligence becomes deeply integrated into the healthcare sector, innovation and application of intelligent medical equipment will emerge as a key driving force behind the industry's high-quality growth."

Source: National Health Commission