With the introduction of the two-child and the recent three-child policies in China, the proportion of older pregnant and lying-in women will increase dramatically, which will lead to a higher incidence rate of birth defects and more fetuses with birth defects. How to do a good job of prenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis, how to manage the incidence rate of birth defects and birth defects, whether the pregnancy can be continued in case of fetuses with defects, how to treat these fetuses in utero as early as possible, and how to manage defective perinatal fetuses, all these have become increasingly prominent clinical medical problems and social concerns.

On June 1, the “Fetal Medicine Platform Launch of West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University and Fetal Medicine Collaborative Development Summit” was held in Chengdu under the guidance of the Health Commission of Sichuan Province and hosted by West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University. The event was attended by Xu Xiaochao, Director of Division of Healthcare for Women, Department of Healthcare for Women and Children, National Health Commission, Zhao Rupeng, member of the leading Party group and Deputy Director of the Health Commission of Sichuan Province, Yang Li, Director of Department of Healthcare for Women and Children, Health Commission of Sichuan Province, Wang Suxia, Secretary of the Party committee, President Liu Hanmin, Vice President Niu Xiaoyu and directors of party-masses affairs and administrative departments of West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, as well as representatives of fetal medicine team and representatives of medical alliance members. The first part was presided over by Niu Xiaoyu, Vice President of the hospital, and the second part by Tan Xin, Assistant to the President of the hospital.

Entrusted by Wang Suxia, Secretary of the Party committee of the hospital, Vice President Niu Xiaoyu delivered a welcome speech. Vice President Niu Xiaoyu noted that, the kernel of the national strategy of building a healthy China proposed by the CPC Central Committee is to take the health of all people as the starting point and foothold of the medical and health system. The fetal medicine platform launched to the public on the occasion of “June 1” Children's Day will enable us to help pregnant women to screen for fetal abnormalities and fetal diseases in a more standardized and effective manner, and promote the joint efforts of multiple specialties to more comprehensively and accurately complete prenatal diagnosis as well as intrauterine, intrapartum and postnatal treatment and follow-up. She also hoped to promote the rapid development of fetal medicine by establishing a long-term working mechanism of fetal medicine platform, in an effort to make greater contribution to reducing birth defects, improving the survival rate of newborns and ensuring the safety of mothers and infants in western China.

Zhao Rupeng, member of the leading Party group and Deputy Director of the Health Commission of Sichuan Province

In his speech, Zhao Rupeng, member of the leading Party group and Deputy Director of the Health Commission of Sichuan Province, said that the status of women’s and children’s health is an important indicator of a region's development and social civilization. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the Health Commission of Sichuan Province will continue to focus on improving the health services for women and children and ensuring the safety of both mothers and infants, and on this basis, promote the whole-life-cycle health services for women and children, and explore and promote the “active health” service model, with a view of providing women and children with continuous, comprehensive and warm whole-cycle health management services. The “Fetal Medicine Platform” established by West China Second University Hospital, with the efforts of the whole hospital reflects the hard work and determination of the hospital in promoting the Maternal and Child Medicine and improving the health of all people based on the major national and provincial health needs. It is also a significant initiative taken by the hospital to actively implement the “Healthy China” and “Healthy Sichuan” strategies and high-quality medical development, marking a new stage in the development of fetal medicine in Sichuan Province.

Xu Xiaochao, Director of Division of Healthcare for Women, Department of Healthcare for Women and Children, National Health Commission

Xu Xiaochao, Director of Division of Healthcare for Women, Department of Healthcare for Women and Children, National Health Commission, said in her speech that since the founding of PRC, the state has always attached great importance to women’s and children's health, and under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with the joint efforts of people of all nationalities, China has made great progress in promoting women’s and children's health. Continuously promoting women’s and children's health is an important element of the “Health China 2030” plan. As a new disciplinary system integrating maternal medicine, fetal medicine and prenatal diagnosis, maternal-fetal medicine has experienced rapid development in China in recent years, greatly enhancing the connection and integration of disciplines. Through renewal of concepts, learning and practices, multidisciplinary knowledge has been introduced into modern obstetrics, which is of great significance to protect the safety of mothers and infants and improve the quality of newborns in China.

With this platform, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University has pulled together the advantageous disciplines to realize the integration of diagnosis and treatment and serve the whole process. It will play a positive role in leading the development of fetal medicine, innovating the work patterns for women’s and children’s health, promoting the continuous improvement of medical service quality and deepening the reform of medical system in the region. Relying on the exquisite techniques, better medical services can be provided for women and children, thus making greater contribution to the medical and health cause in Sichuan Province and even the southwest China!

Step by Step: A Dialogue with Hospital Leaders

Liu Hanmin, President of West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University

In the first part titled of “Step by Step: A Dialogue with Hospital Leaders”, the launching ceremony of the fetal medicine platform was held first, and all the representatives came on stage to witness the “West China Model” of the fetal medicine platform of “Inheriting and Innovating: Step by step”. After that, President Liu Hanmin shared a lecture titled “Fetal Medicine—Prospects and Expectations of Medicine for Women and Children”.

According to President Liu Hanmin, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University blazed the trail of intrauterine fetal intervention through the first case of intrauterine embryo reduction during the second trimester in 2005, and established the first obstetrical team of fetal medicine in the province in 2011, making the hospital one of the first institutions in China to systematically provide fetal medical services. Boasting many advantageous disciplines related to fetal medicine which almost cover all specialties necessary for fetal medicine, the hospital integrated all these advantageous disciplines through the new platform to realize mutual cooperation, resource sharing and integration of diagnosis and treatment, and standardized the diagnosis and treatment model of fetal medicine. Additionally, the hospital also established a standardized MDT process to simplify the patient's treatment process and improve the efficacy of diagnosis and treatment, so as to better serve the patients. He also hoped that through establishing the long-term working mechanism of fetal medicine platform, both the depth and breadth of fetal medicine disciplines can be extended, the continuous progress of fetal medicine discipline construction realized, and finally the vigorous development of fetal medicine disciplines promoted.

Niu Xiaoyu, Vice President of West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University

The fetal medicine platform provides the whole-process services from pre-pregnancy to mid-pregnancy and post-partum stages, including but not limited to the integrated medical services such as fertility risk assessment of genetic diseases in pre-pregnancy stage, diagnosis, assessment, treatment and prognosis of fetal diseases in mid-pregnancy stage, and post-partum rehabilitation and whole-course management, so as to achieve whole-process services from multiple channels. Through institutional management, technical requirements and integration and sharing initiatives, a standardized MDT multidisciplinary joint diagnosis and treatment model has been established to standardize the diagnosis and treatment model of fetal medicine. At present, the fetal medicine platform of West China Second University Hospital has become an influential referral center for the diagnosis and treatment of intrauterine fetal diseases in China, leading the development of fetal medicine in Sichuan Province.

Inheriting and Innovating: Fetal Medicine Collaborative Development Summit

Prof. Liu Xinghui from Obstetrics Department

Prof. Tang Jun from Neonatology Department

Prof. Liu Shanling from Department of Medical Genetics/Prenatal Diagnostic Center

Prof. Hua Yimin from Department of Pediatric Cardiology

Prof. Xiang Bo from Department of Pediatric Surgery

Prof. Yu Haiyan from Obstetrics Department

Prof. Chen Juan from Outpatient Department

Prof. Wu Jinlin from Department of Medical Administration

Prof. Ning Gang from Radiology Department

Prof. Luo Hong from Ultrasonic Department

In the part of “Inheriting and Innovating: Fetal Medicine Collaborative Development Summit”, the heads of various teams of fetal medicine from West China Second University Hospital shared the development of fetal medicine from academic perspectives. Liu Xinghui, Director of Obstetrics Department, presented the “Status Quo of  Development of Intrauterine Fetal Treatment at Home and Abroad”, Yu Haiyan, Deputy Director of Obstetrics Department, introduced the “Intrauterine Fetal Treatment and Risk Assessment”, Liu Shanling, Director of Department of Medical Genetics/Prenatal Diagnostic Center, shared views on the “Development Trend of Prenatal Diagnosis of Genetic Diseases with the Support of First-, Second- and Third- Generation DNA Sequencing Technology”, Tang Jun, Director of Neonatology Department, gave a presentation titled “Helping in the First Postnatal Stage--The Neonatology Department of West China Second University Hospital”, Hua Yimin, Director of Department of Pediatric Cardiology, presented the “Treatment of Fetal Heart Disease—from Intrauterine to Extrauterine”, Wu Jinlin, Director of Department of Medical Administration, gave a presentation tilted “Innovative Medical Management Model Promotes Sustainable Development of the Platform”, Xiang Bo, Director of Department of Pediatric Surgery, told the story of “Fetal Surgery: Save the Unborn Babies”, Luo Hong, Director of Ultrasonic Department, briefed the “Fetal MRI—The Fresh Force for Prenatal Diagnosis”, and Chen Juan, Director of Outpatient Department, presented the "MDT system Construction Based on Fetal Medicine Platform".

In the future, the platform will continue to bring together the strengths of various disciplines and conduct multidisciplinary collaboration to create an integrated, international and accurate management system, striving to achieve continuous progress in fetal medicine discipline construction and promote the vigorous development of fetal medicine disciplines. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party and the activity of “Do Practical Things for the Masses”, West China Second University Hospital will continue to, based on the protection of women's and children's health, practice the value of “people first and life first“, strive to fulfill the original intention and mission of a healthy China, promote the high-quality development of medical services, and provide more high-quality and efficient medical services for women and children.