The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have jointly established a new programme, with the support of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence and Alibaba Health, to help combat the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.
Ma is a Chinese billionaire who has been at the forefront to fight the coronavirus pandemic since it first broke out in China.
The Global MediXchange for Combating COVID-19 (GMCC) programme, will facilitate online communication and collaboration across borders, as well as provide frontline medical teams around the world with the necessary communication channels to share practical experience about fighting the pandemic.
"This center offers overseas Chinese compatriots with COVID-19 prevention and treatment consultation from frontline doctors, and supports medical scientific research institutions with AI, big data, and cloud computing capabilities," reads part of a statement.
The GMCC comprises four centers.
One is the Resources Sharing Center, which shares authoritative anti-epidemic information; the second is the International Medical Expert Communication Center, which is dedicated for medical staff to exchange real-time clinical experience of the latest epidemic prevention and control.
Third is the COVID-19 Chinese Consultation Center, which provides overseas Chinese compatriots with real-time health consultation and online Q&A; and fourth is the Fighting COVID-19 Technology Center, which shows cutting-edge anti-epidemic technologies.
"We can't beat this virus unless we share our resources, know-how and hard-earned lessons," Jack Ma, Founder of Jack Ma Foundation, is quoted saying.
Resources Sharing Center
Among others, the Resource Sharing Center component brings hope considering achievements already registered in China where the outbreak started end last year.
It is noted that the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine has treated 104 patients tested positive for COVID-19 in 50 days; and achieved zero deaths in patients diagnosed, zero patients misdiagnosed, and zero infections in medical staff.
Their experts wrote real treatment experience when combating the virus night and day, and quickly published a handbook of COVID-19 prevention and treatment.
This was in order to share their invaluable practical advice and references with medical professionals around the world.
"This handbook compares and analyzes the experience of other experts in China; gives detailed and comprehensive answers to potential questions for diagnosing and treating patients in different types; and provides a good reference to key departments such as hospital infection management, nursing, and outpatient clinics," reads the online statement.
"This handbook provides comprehensive guidelines and best practices by China's top experts for coping with COVID-19."
The handbook is currently available in Chinese, English, Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese.
According to the WHO, having gained a foothold in 195 countries with more than 400,000 reported cases and close to 20,000 reported deaths, COVID-19 is reaching more and more areas of the world grappling with conflict, natural disasters and climate change.