How telemedicine and AI-powered hospitals are enhancing BRICS healthcare cooperation

Sitting at a surgical console in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, an ophthalmologist from the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center tracks a crystal-clear, real-time 5G video feed. The doctor guides a robotic arm thousands of kilometers away to perform a painstaking subretinal injection – delivering targeted medication into a paper-thin layer of tissue beneath the patient's retina.

That robotic arm was deployed in an operating room in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 4,200 kilometers from the control team in Guangzhou. Lin Haotian, director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center at Sun Yat-sen University, noted that performing such a procedure remotely via robotics marks a clinical milestone, as remote robotic interventions of this precision had not previously been documented.

"The retina is only about 100 to 300 micrometers thick, divided into 10 distinct layers. Delivering medication precisely between two of those layers is an exceptionally delicate operation," Lin told China Media Group.

The adoption of remote medical robotics in China began in 2019 with its first 5G-assisted orthopedic surgery. Over recent years, remote medical procedures have expanded across various specialties in Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang.

From local reach to nationwide networks

These advanced remote procedures reflect a broader expansion of digital health infrastructure across China. According to China's National Health Commission, the country's telemedicine network now covers all cities and counties, expanding further into rural communities. Monitoring data shows that 70% of township health centers have established collaborative telemedicine partnerships with higher-level hospitals.

Alongside the physical infrastructure, AI-driven applications are increasingly integrated into daily clinical workflows. At Ruijin Hospital, affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, an AI pathology platform assists doctors by scanning digital slides and highlighting potential lesions in seconds – a process that manually takes around 40 minutes per slide. 

Furthermore, a report by KPMG, a global network of professional services firms, indicates that China accounts for over 70% of the world's published medical large language models. As these digital health tools mature domestically, elements of the technology, equipment and operational frameworks are progressively being adapted for international healthcare partnerships.

Smart infrastructure and clinical applications overseas

As China's telemedicine infrastructure and domestic medical devices continue to mature, these technological solutions are increasingly being incorporated into international healthcare collaborations, particularly across BRICS countries.

Construction is underway in São Paulo, Brazil, for the country's first public smart hospital within the University of São Paulo hospital complex. Financed by a $320 million long-term loan from the New Development Bank (NDB) alongside local funding, the 800-bed facility is scheduled to open in 2029.

Developed with technical collaboration from Chinese partners, the project will incorporate 5G-connected ambulances, AI-assisted triage and automated operational management. NDB President Dilma Rousseff noted that the project serves as a reference model for technology transfer in public health, while Brazilian Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha highlighted the role of international technical collaboration in upgrading public health infrastructure.

Beyond hospital infrastructure, Chinese medical equipment and diagnostic tools are seeing expanded clinical application overseas. 

In April 2024, clinical teams from Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital affiliated to Xiamen University, using Chinese-made medical devices, performed the first local Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures in Brazil and El Salvador. By August 2024, teams completed the first TAVR in eastern Indonesia and the country's first Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) procedure. In September 2025, the first Chinese-assisted IVL procedure was performed in Vietnam. These inaugural procedures using innovative equipment reflect an expanding role for domestic medical technologies in international clinical settings.

In the commercial biotech sector, a Fujian-based firm established a localized laboratory in São Paulo to provide lower-cost genetic screening for breast cancer – a prevailing health challenge in Brazil. Company records show that partnerships had been established with nearly 20 institutions across BRICS countries by August 2025.

Cultivating talent and strengthening policy dialogues

Beyond medical equipment and infrastructure, human resource development and clinical training remain central to international medical cooperation.

The Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital has established a fellowship program offering 6-to-12-month clinical training for foreign cardiologists. By October 2025, 28 physicians from 13 countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia and Egypt, had been trained. Upon returning to their home institutions, several participants have taken on primary surgical roles, such as performing emergency interventional procedures for acute myocardial infarction.

Official policy frameworks continue to guide these multilateral initiatives. China has participated in the BRICS Health Ministers' Meetings since the inaugural conference in 2011. At the 15th meeting in June 2025, Guo Yanhong, vice minister of China's NHC, noted that China has implemented a health-prioritized development strategy to advance the Healthy China initiative and promote coordinated governance across medical services, pharmaceuticals and health insurance.

China is committed to working alongside BRICS members and partner nations to strengthen policy dialogue, align health actions and deepen exchanges across medical fields, according to Guo.