The 4th Yangtze-Rhine Neonatal-Perinatal Forum was held on Dec 17 – hosted by the Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children (CQHCWC), which is located in Southwest China's Chongqing.

The inaugural meeting of the Newborn Healthcare Committee of the Chongqing Maternal and Child Health Association was held simultaneously with the event.

Li Pan, deputy director of the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, addressed the opening ceremony. He said that by taking the opportunity of building a perinatal medical center which met the German Class I standard – the highest level – the CQHCWC had made notable achievements in various fields, including delivery room management and ultra-premature infant comprehensive treatment levels.

According to Li, the CQHCWC has developed into one of the foremost fetal medical centers – carrying out the most fetal intrauterine treatments and covering the most comprehensive fetal diseases in the country.

The 4th Yangtze-Rhine Neonatal-Perinatal Forum is held at the CQHCWC on Dec 17. [Photo/CQHCWC]

He urged children's health service workers to strengthen their exchanges, promote safety improvements for newborns, and strive to provide comprehensive and considerate medical and health services for children.

Wang Jian, secretary of the CQHCWC's Party committee, said the forum had witnessed the center's achievements in Sino-German medical exchanges over the past four years.

She said the center had deepened its integration of obstetrics and pediatrics. As a result, survival rates for super and extremely preterm infants (gestational age <28 weeks, 32 weeks) are now over 80 percent and 95 percent, respectively. The minimum gestational age for successful treatment of premature babies is 24 weeks and the minimum birth weight is 490 grams, ranking it top in the country.

Wang Jian, secretary of the CQHCWC's Party committee, addresses the forum. [Photo/CQHCWC]

Zou Ming, president of the Chongqing Maternal and Child Health Association, pledged that the newly established newborn healthcare committee would help promote the development of Chongqing's neonatal medicine – as well as improve the level of Chongqing's neonatal health care, so as to benefit newborns and families in the city.

During the forum, 28 leading experts from home and abroad – including Qi Hongbo, president of the CQHCWC – gave on-site and online lectures, with topics ranging from the management of preterm infants during the transitional period to the diagnosis and treatment of rare neonatal diseases.

A video on a team led by Zhong Xiaoyun, director of the Neonatal Department of the CQHCWC, was also played during the forum, showcasing the proficiency of physicians in neonatal disease treatment.

The event reportedly aimed to convey the latest in diagnosis and treatment plans, operating techniques and the research directions of the foremost hospitals in Europe and China – and to improve overall capabilities for the integrated perinatal treatment of premature and critical newborns.

The forum was also seen as playing a positive role in promoting Chongqing's development in the neonatal care sector and the high-quality development of national perinatal medicine.