Party Secretary Zhang Guoxin of China CDC Leads Field Visits to Advance the Pilot Program for the National Public Health Big Data Collaborative Innovation Center

To speed up the pilot program for the National Public Health Big Data Collaborative Innovation Center, improve cross-regional and cross-level data governance and joint application, and explore data-driven reform and high-quality development of the disease control and prevention system, Party Secretary Zhang Guoxin of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) led a delegation to Yichang in Hubei Province, Xiamen in Fujian Province, and Suzhou in Jiangsu Province from January 5 to 8, 2026. The team carried out field research and provided technical guidance, identified issues in the pilot work, and offered targeted recommendations to support the project. Officials and experts from relevant China CDC departments, as well as leaders and specialists from the provincial and municipal health commissions, disease control and prevention bureaus, CDCs, and big data management departments in the pilot areas, joined the visits. 

The delegation held special meetings on the pilot program in Yichang, Xiamen, and Suzhou to review progress in public health big data collaborative innovation and to discuss mechanisms and pathways for moving the work forward. At the meetings, Secretary Zhang recognized the initial results achieved in the three locations. He urged them to further strengthen awareness of the importance and urgency of the pilot, take a long-term view, and coordinate service needs and resource conditions at all levels. He also called for priority efforts in innovative design, the development of standards and specifications, and core public health services, to ensure the model can be replicated and the outcomes can be demonstrated and promoted. On next steps, Secretary Zhang set out three tasks. First, the pilot areas should develop a practical mid-term action plan, clarify phased goals and tasks, and put in place concrete measures for implementation. Second, they should assign responsibilities, establish a regular meeting mechanism, and carry out joint problem-solving to tackle difficulties, speed up progress, and achieve data connectivity and shared use among the pilot cities as soon as possible. Third, a dedicated session should be arranged at the Third Digital Intelligence Conference to be held in 2026 to present pilot achievements in a focused manner.

An expert group also visited Changzhou to review local work on integrating medical services and disease prevention and on building the population health information platform. The group provided targeted guidance on how Changzhou can use data to support high quality development of the disease control and prevention system.