Tourist first-aid center powered by 5G and smart technology opens in Altay

A new tourist first-aid center has officially been put into service after an unveiling ceremony on Aug 6 in Altay, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The 5G-powered tourism first-aid demonstration site, which was built by Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and the university's School of Tourism Management, is housed in Hemu township clinic in the Kanas Scenic Area.

Nazira, director of the clinic, said, "When the remote interactive scheduling screen is installed, we can immediately connect with the emergency center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, located thousands of kilometers away, to get real-time emergency treatment guidance if needed."

It is the first 5G-powered tourism first-aid site in the country and important innovation for Sun Yatsen University in terms of being able to provide medical services in tourism areas in Xinjiang, said Gao Song, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Sun Yat-sen University.

The tourism first-aid demonstration site will be used to help promote the standardization of first aid in China's tourist destinations and scenic spots, he said at the unveiling ceremony.

Gao said Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and the School of Tourism Management would work together to develop a remote tourism emergency rescue system based on advanced 5G and smart technology to improve tourism management and serve Xinjiang's economic and social development.

The demonstration site uses 5G for a remote video link with Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital.

Song Erwei, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, said patients could immediately obtain medical treatment from doctors in major hospitals via video link after they have been put in an ambulance.

"This fixes the defects of the information disconnection between ambulance transportation and hospital treatment," he said.

Song led senior medical expert teams from his hospital in providing first-aid training courses in Altay prefecture from July 19 to 22. The attendees included local doctors, nurses, tourist guides, hotel staff and staff from homestay businesses.

He promised his hospital would continue to provide training and free remote first-aid clinic services for Kanas scenic spot, promote the construction and improvement of 5G tourism first-aid centers and improve local medical diagnosis and treatment.

Kanas Scenic Area is one of China's most popular tourist attractions. It received as many as 30,000 daily visits in July. However, located in a remote area, the scenic spot has limited medical services, making it difficult for people to receive timely assistance in an emergency.

Zhang Yan, Party chief of Altay prefecture, said the demonstration site would help solve the problem of the shortage of medical resources and professional medical workers in the scenic spots in Altay, and help ensure the high-quality development of the prefecture's tourism industry.