A delegation of medical and healthcare professionals from Shandong province in China visited Leeds last week to look at creating new partnerships and exploring investment opportunities in the city region. The delegation was welcomed by Councillor Jane Dowson, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, and received presentations from David Moore, the Sector Manager for Healthcare and Life Sciences from Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and Colin Mawhinney, the Head of Health Innovation at Leeds Health Partnerships.
The healthcare and life sciences sector is one of the strengths of the Leeds City Region economy, with Leeds being home to over 160 medical technology and health informatics companies and with 22% of all digital health jobs in England are based in the city. Leeds is also home to one of Europe’s largest teaching hospitals.
The delegation was led by Mr Junzhao Yang, the General Manager of Ji’ning Rencheng Hengkang Hospital, and comprised senior representatives from medical equipment and pharmaceutical companies, as well as from hospitals and health research centres.
Liangzhen Song, the General Secretary of Shandong Provincial Physician Association, talked of the similarities between Leeds City Region and Shandong Province, which are both tackling major challenges associated with an ageing population such as cancer and dementia. She stated that there was plenty of scope for future cooperation between the two regions, with both of them striving to be at the heart of global healthcare innovation.
As part of their visit to the city region, the delegation also visited Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Leeds medical school and a specialist dementia care home in Harrogate.
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