HAIKOU, March 2026 — South China’s Hainan Province has unveiled a new action plan to accelerate the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare, as part of its broader push to build a digital and innovation-driven Free Trade Port.

According to the 2026–2028 “AI+” Action Plan recently issued by the provincial government, healthcare is among seven priority sectors targeted for AI integration.

Expanding AI across medical services

The plan outlines the use of AI in a wide range of scenarios, including smart diagnosis and treatment, telemedicine, clinical decision support, real-world data research, and medical insurance fund supervision.

Authorities aim to create a fully integrated, AI-powered healthcare system covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and health management—improving both efficiency and patient outcomes.

Cross-border and remote healthcare

Hainan will promote AI-enabled telemedicine, including remote-assisted diagnosis and even surgery guidance, allowing collaboration across regions and countries.

The initiative is expected to strengthen Hainan’s role as an international medical hub, building on its existing openness in healthcare services.

Data-driven innovation

The plan also emphasizes building high-quality healthcare data systems.

This includes:

Developing national-level pilot programs for trusted health data spaces

Creating specialized AI models for specific diseases and clinical fields

Supporting intelligent applications in primary care, medical imaging, and remote services

Privacy computing technologies will be used to connect the full chain of pharmaceutical and medical device development—from R&D to clinical use and regulation—while enabling multinational research collaboration.

Smarter governance

Hainan will also upgrade its digital governance framework by building a “digital health brain,” integrating medical services, insurance systems, and pharmaceutical regulation.

The goal is to enhance coordinated supervision across healthcare providers, medical insurance funds, and drug safety—often referred to as the “three-medicine linkage” system.