News.hust.edu.cn On June 3, a delegation of four members led by German Ambassador to China Dr. Clemens von Goetze visited Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST to learn about Sino-German medical exchanges. He expected for further cooperation with the hospital.

Accompanied by Party Secretary Wu Jing and other leaders of Tongji Hospital, the delegation visited the outpatient department, culture wall, humanized operation patient waiting area, urological wards, exhibition area of all presidents of the Chinese German Society of Medicine (CDGM) and German Chinese Society of Medicine (DCGM), and exhibition area of Sino-German medical exchanges of Wuhan Sino-German Friendship Hospital (Optical Valley Branch of Tongji Hospital). The visitors talked with some medical staff who studied in Germany.

Feng Xiguo, Deputy Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee; Zhang Min, Chief of the Division of European and African Affairs, Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee; Chen Anmin, former Party Secretary and President of Tongji Hospital and Vice President of CDGM; Xu Yongjian, former President of Tongji Hospital; as well as other leaders and heads of relevant functional departments of Tongji Hospital accompanied the visitors.

At the ensuing meeting, Liu Jihong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Tongji Hospital and President of Wuhan Sino-German Friendship Hospital, introduced the 119-year history of Tongji Hospital, as well as its all-round, multi-level and multi-channel exchanges and cooperation with Germany.

Nagel, German President of Wuhan Sino-German Friendship Hospital, introduced Sino-German cooperation in fields such as infectious and non-infectious diseases, hospital and quality management, traditional Chinese medicine, preventive and rehabilitation medicine, emergency and disaster medicine, medical big data and health industry development. He expected that the two sides would continue to promote the deep cooperation of Sino-German medical exchanges and talent training, to write a new page for Sino-German medical exchanges.

Tongji Hospital was founded in Shanghai in 1900 and moved to Wuhan in 1955. In the last more than 100 years, it has carried out in-depth cooperation with Germany in fields such as academic exchange, clinical teaching, scientific research and hospital management. In 1984, Academician Qiu Fazu initiated CDGM and DCGM in association with German medical experts. In the last more than 30 years, an annual academic conference has been held every year in China and Germany alternately, to boost Sino-German medical exchanges, mutual understanding and friendship. Wuhan Sino-German Friendship Hospital was inaugurated at Optical Valley Branch of Tongji Hospital on October 31, 2018 as China's first Sino-German friendship hospital, and now has become a "medical symbol" in the "Optics Valley of China".

Goetze fully recognized the remarkable contributions of Tongji Hospital and its role of bridge in Sino-German exchanges. Driven by Tongji Hospital, Sino-German medical exchanges have extended from clinical medicine cooperation to scientific research, hospital management and other fields. He expected to deepen cooperation with Tongji Hospital in population ageing, new disease treatment and other medical fields, and expressed his willingness to attend the activities marking the 120th anniversary of Tongji Hospital.