Source | Saibailan Medical Devices

March 4, 2026 marked the official opening of the 2026 National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). In the medical device sector, topics such as AI, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), smart medical devices, innovation, overseas expansion, and silver health have become hotly debated among deputies and members, attracting widespread attention.

01 BCIs Surge in Popularity, Smart Medical Devices Witness Explosive Growth

On March 5, Li Lecheng, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, stated in an interview that full efforts will be made to promote the research, development and iterative upgrading of next-generation artificial intelligence products, including BCIs, autonomous vehicles, and robots, advancing technological breakthroughs and iterations. Strong support will be given to the development of intelligent agricultural machinery and smart medical devices, enabling more intelligent products to meet the needs of various industries and fields.

Currently, there have been numerous explorations into the application of BCIs in the medical field.

Ming Dong, CPPCC National Committee member, Vice President of Tianjin University, and Director of the Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, noted that China's BCI research, development and application are generally among the world's top tier. Particularly in the field of non-invasive BCIs, we have basically maintained a level on par with the world's most advanced standards.

However, moving from the laboratory to clinical practice and industrialization, the development of BCIs still faces many challenges. Ming Dong believes that technologies ranging from core electronic components and high-end general-purpose chips to basic software products and key infrastructure systems need to be gradually refined.

Wang Jian'an, CPPCC National Committee member, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and President of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, also found in his research that the key links in the transformation of BCI technology into high-end medical device industry are currently confronted with systemic challenges such as restricted core technologies, unclear industrial transformation paths, and lack of ethical and regulatory frameworks.

He suggested that the state establish an access mechanism to select a group of leading institutions with top clinical capabilities and profound technical accumulation as "pioneers". These institutions should take the lead in conducting clinical research and application under strict supervision to accumulate China's own clinical data and experience, rather than allowing all hospitals to rush into it blindly.

Furthermore, efforts should be made to promote the construction of a complete BCI innovation ecosystem. "Technology should not remain in papers; the key lies in breaking down the barriers between universities, research institutes and medical device enterprises. Only by forming an efficient innovation chain can a 'brainstorm' in the laboratory be quickly transformed into a safe, reliable, mass-producible and cost-effective medical device product," Wang emphasized.

Yao Dezhong, NPC deputy, Director and Professor of the Sino-German Brain-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, pointed out that although China has many mature products in the field of non-invasive motor rehabilitation and has achieved good results in deep brain stimulation, core bottlenecks still exist. Key pain points such as over-reliance on imports for electroencephalogram (EEG) acquisition chips, very few original interface paradigms, and lack of large-scale scenario applications need to be addressed urgently.

Yao Dezhong argued that it is necessary to sort out the rigid demand scenarios mainly for brain disease diagnosis and treatment, accelerate the formulation of industry norms and technical standards, and guide precise capital investment. In promoting the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, he suggested that government funds guide enterprises and laboratories to jointly tackle key problems, focusing on applying BCI technology to the diagnosis and treatment of major neuropsychiatric diseases to form a new pattern complementary to drug therapy.

02 Silver Health Window Opens, In-depth Integration of AI and Medical Devices

Against the backdrop of an aging population, can AI better leverage its advantages to boost silver health development?

Yu Qingming, NPC deputy and part-time director of Sinopharm Group, stated in an interview: "China has now entered a moderately aging society. By the end of 2025, the population aged 60 and above had reached 323 million, accounting for 23% of the total population. Addressing population aging has become an important starting point for formulating economic and social development policies."

At present, the supply of smart devices that accurately meet the elderly's medical and health needs in the market is still insufficient, with a gap between product adaptability and actual demands. To this end, Yu Qingming suggested that efforts should be made from the supply side to optimize the product structure.

In promoting the in-depth integration of artificial intelligence and medical devices, Yu Qingming believed that enterprises should be supported to develop smart devices with heart rate and respiratory monitoring, eye movement tracking, abnormal alarm and two-way communication functions to realize timely intervention in the health risks of the elderly living at home and strengthen the elderly care safety net.

Regarding the development of smart service robots with multiple functions, Yu Qingming pointed out that priority should be given to researching and developing products with home companionship, health consultation, fitness guidance and other functions, upgrading devices from "functional tools" to warm health partners.

In creating new scenarios for silver health consumption, Yu Qingming stated that it is necessary to strengthen policy coordination among multiple departments, include some appropriate medical and health devices in the medical insurance catalog, promote the application of products such as smart nursing and wearable rehabilitation robots in pilot home-based elderly care cities, support smart elderly care, and reduce the burden on society and families.

03 High Growth of Home Medical Devices, Accelerated Intelligent Iteration

CPPCC member Ding Guanghong focused on the regulation and development of home medical devices this year. Citing research data, he pointed out that the Chinese home medical device market has maintained a high growth rate of over 20% annually in the past two years, demonstrating huge social demand and consumption potential.

Meanwhile, the intelligent iteration of products is accelerating, and more and more high-tech devices are gradually entering households, becoming important tools for chronic disease management and daily health monitoring. However, problems exist to varying degrees in aspects such as use and maintenance. For example, the regulation of some devices is overly rigid with unreasonable usage thresholds; while other products that should be strictly managed are sold arbitrarily online without effective supervision. Taking sphygmomanometers as an example, many families use them for five or six years or even longer without regular calibration after purchase, making it difficult to ensure accuracy. "Sphygmomanometers in hospitals are subject to mandatory annual calibration; the same awareness and service mechanism should be established for home use," Ding said.

In addition, some electronic products on the market promote their effects under the banner of "physical therapy", but their actual clinical effects are unclear, which may easily mislead consumers. Ding Guanghong held that home medical devices cover a wide range of categories and are complex in variety, so there is an urgent need to establish a scientific hierarchical and classified management system. It should be clarified which products can be deregulated, which require prescriptions, and which must be strictly supervised, especially strengthening the regulation of online sales channels.

To this end, Ding put forward five suggestions in his proposal: first, clarify the boundaries of product categories and establish a scientific hierarchical and classified management mechanism; second, optimize product design and labeling to improve the safety and convenience of use; third, standardize business formats and improve regulatory rules for all channels; fourth, strengthen policy support to promote high-quality innovative development of the industry; fifth, encourage the research, development and promotion of high-end smart home medical devices.

He particularly mentioned that the state should introduce incentive policies to support universities, medical institutions and enterprises to jointly tackle key problems and develop intelligent, advanced and clinically effective home medical devices.

04 Strengthen AI Medical Innovation Application, Accelerate Grassroots Promotion

The rapid development of AI has opened up many imaginative spaces for the innovative revolution in the medical field. In the future, joint efforts from the industry are needed to better leverage AI's effectiveness and enhance medical quality and efficiency.

Cao Peng, CPPCC member and Chairman of the Technology Committee of JD.com Group, proposed to strengthen the innovative application of AI in specialized diseases, encourage the launch of national-level pilots for AI diagnosis and treatment of specialized diseases, incorporate mature AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment plans into clinical pathway management, and comprehensively improve the accuracy and homogenization level of clinical diagnosis and treatment. Efforts should be made to promote the AI-driven "medical-examination-diagnosis-pharmacy" closed-loop model, encourage internet medical platforms to build an AI-driven full-process medical service closed-loop, and support the innovation of the integrated model of "AI-guided diagnosis-online consultation-home-based testing-drug delivery-rehabilitation management".

He suggested launching a special initiative for the inclusive improvement of AI in primary healthcare, developing customized AI agents for community doctors and rural doctors, promoting the "AI digital doctor" model, and comprehensively enhancing the diagnosis and treatment service capabilities at the grassroots level. In terms of empowering doctors' clinical practice and scientific research through AI, enterprises should be encouraged to develop full-process AI empowerment tools for doctors, and platforms should be supported to open basic functions to all doctors free of charge to help them improve the efficiency of clinical decision-making and scientific research capabilities.

In the development of AI medical care, the benefits to grassroots levels still need to be strengthened.

Dai Lizhong, NPC deputy and Chairman of Sansure Biotech, pointed out in an interview that grassroots AI medical service capabilities and supporting facilities face challenges of insufficient support. Grassroots medical institutions lack professional AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment tools and online service terminal support, and medical staff have insufficient capabilities in AI technology application, making it difficult to give full play to the technical advantages of AI remote diagnosis and AI-assisted diagnosis.

"In reality, more capital and technical resources in medical AI are concentrated in Grade A tertiary hospitals, while the supply of small-sized, low-cost and easy-to-operate products tailored for grassroots levels is insufficient," noted Geng Funeng, NPC deputy and Chairman of Good Doctor Group.

Regarding how to increase the promotion of AI medical care at the grassroots level, Dai Lizhong proposed promoting the rapid implementation of AI medical technology through pilots and demonstration projects. He suggested establishing "AI + Medical Care" innovation pilot zones, selecting regions with concentrated medical resources and sound internet infrastructure, and carrying out pilots in core scenarios such as AI remote diagnosis, infectious disease early warning, patient triage and drug research and development assistance in different settings including grassroots medical and health institutions, Grade A tertiary hospitals and public health institutions. A fault-tolerance and error-correction mechanism should be established to dynamically adjust pilot policies. Greater policy support and capital investment should be provided to pilot regions and units, subsidies should be given to grassroots medical institutions that introduce AI medical technology, and high-quality AI medical products should be included in the scope of medical insurance payment.

Geng Funeng also suggested setting up a special subsidy fund for the application of AI agents by grassroots doctors, which should be shared by central and local finances in proportion. A 30%-50% purchase subsidy should be given for the procurement of AI agents suitable for the needs of common diseases and chronic disease management at the grassroots level, with an appropriate increase to 50%-60% in rural areas, along with annual operation and maintenance subsidies.

Dai Lizhong further stated that the large-scale promotion of "AI + Medical Care" development is currently facing the challenge of insufficient data supply. "Enterprises are more sensitive to market pain points and have a better understanding of public needs. However, medical data is characterized by privacy and fragmentation. At present, China's medical data opening and sharing mechanism is imperfect, and most desensitized medical data has not been effectively opened to AI medical enterprises. This leads to a lack of high-quality and large-scale training data for enterprises, making it impossible to develop AI large models that are suitable for China's medical scenarios and highly accurate. Technological innovation has fallen into a predicament of 'cooking without rice', which has become a core bottleneck for the commercial implementation of AI medical care," Dai said. He also called for accelerating the opening of desensitized medical data, establishing a unified open platform for desensitized medical data, and clarifying the scope, standards and procedures for data opening.