A joint international conference between Ain Shams University and the People's University of China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative

The activities of the International Conference "Smart Health Care for the Elderly", hosted by Ain Shams University and the People's University of China, organized by the Silk Road Research and Studies Center at Ain Shams University and the National Academy for Strategic Development at the People's University of China, have been launched under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, and Prof. Dr. Liu Wei (刘伟), President of the People's University of China, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ashraf Omar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the University Hospitals Board of Directors, Prof. Dr. Esraa Abdel Sayed, Director of the Silk Road Research and Studies Center at Ain Shams University and coordinator of the conference, and Prof. Dr. Hala Swaid, Director of the Geriatric Hospital, Ain Shams University.
The conference was held via video conference technology, it comes within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the joint cooperation between the two sides also. As the Arab Republic of Egypt is the first in Africa and the second globally to inaugurate a center for Silk Road research and studies.

The presidents of the two universities gave opening speeches at the conference, and professors from both sides presided over the sessions.
The conference aims to exchange experiences between the Chinese side and the Geriatric Hospital at Ain Shams University, where the People’s Republic of China has the largest population density of centenarians and the elderly, and it uses modern and advanced methods in smart care for the elderly, hence the Egyptian side’s interest in the need to benefit from these experiences, especially in light of the global Corona pandemic, the conference is the first of its kind in the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Arab world and Africa in this field.

The new conference discussed the treatment and care of the elderly, the equipment of hospitals for the elderly, the companies concerned with hospital equipment, and the latest devices and equipment in the field of smart health care for the elderly. The conference also dealt, through its multiple sessions, with ways of cooperation in the field of innovative technologies and global standards in smart medical care such as home care, adaptation to aging, smart medical care technology, long-term care insurance system, and the critical importance of integrating sports and medicine in elderly care, and it review the experience Chinese in this context.
The high-quality medical services provided by the Geriatric Hospital at Ain Shams University, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, were reviewed, the conference also touched on institutional communication services for communities and families through the smart elderly care model and presenting future visions for smart health care until 2030.

The conference presented the challenges and opportunities available for smart medical care for the elderly in the post-pandemic era, activating cooperation between the two universities, exchanging experiences in the field of smart health care for the elderly, and the possibility of developing joint educational programs between the two universities.
From the Egyptian side, Prof. Dr. Osama Mansour, Vice Dean of Faculty of Medicine of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Hisham Al-Ghazali, Director of the Egyptian Research Center and Professor of Oncology at Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Manar Mustafa, head of the elderly department, Prof. Dr. Mona El Sebaei, Head of the Department of Natural Medicine, Prof. Dr. Hoda Farid, Head of the Department of Medicine and Telemedicine, Prof. Dr. Mona Abdel Aal, Director of the Education Development Center, and a large number of doctors and researchers in the field of elderly care at Ain Shams University attended the conference.

From the Chinese side, the president and three vice-deans of the Chinese People's University, Prof. Dr. Shi Cheng Zhong (石成中), Director of the Research Center for the Elderly at the People's University, Dr. Xiu Qinghua (修清華), Vice Dean of the National Academy of Strategic Development, a number of researchers in the field of smart health care for the elderly and relevant companies, and a group of doctors and researchers in the field of elderly care at the two universities attended the conference.