Chongqing - A high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapeutic system developed by Chongqing's medical engineering company Haifu Medical Technology Co. Ltd. was donated by the Chinese government to China-Dominica high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapeutic system Friendship Hospital in Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica on March 18.

This donation was a part of the large project between the Commonwealth of Dominica and China in which the latter has promised to maintain and expand Dominica's hospital system in 2017.

The project was contracted by the Chinese Hunan Construction Engineering Group and finished construction in 2019 due to the delay caused by Hurricane Maria. The Covid-19 outbroke in early 2020 again postponed the clinic training stage to March 2022.

"This equipment introduced will help our hospital become a center for tumors treatment in the Caribbean area," said Dr.William James, CEO of China-Dominica Friendship Hospital.

The equipment is used for focused ultrasonic ablation surgery (FUAS), a non-invasive treatment for killing tumors, probably the most formidable rival to human health in modern times. Traditional surgery leaves wounds, whether they are large or small, inside or outside the skin surface, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy have strong side effects, but with the FUAS, the patient can complete the surgery without harming normal tissues, which means almost no complications, much less pain and much shorter postoperative recovery time.

Wang Zhibiao, a professor at Chongqing Medical University, who later became the founder of Haifu Medical Technology in 1999, made the first HIFU system with fully independent intellectual property rights in the world. For a long time, the company pioneering HIFU technology has become the leader in this new cancer treatment.

Since the first HIFU equipment was exported to Oxford University in 2002, HIFU equipment has been exported to 28 countries and regions, curing over 210 thousand cases of malignant tumors. In 2021, Haifu ensured over 4,500 cases of FUAS around the globe, according to the data released by the company.

Besides the effort in the Commonwealth of Dominica, the company's products are seeking a larger entrance to the hospitals' operating room in Latin America, with countries like Mexico, Cuba, Dominica, Venezuela, and Argentina adopting Haifu's equipment already, said Gu Junyan, the regional manager of Haifu Medical in Latin America.

"We see Latin America as a huge potential market, where the overall medical treatment ability still needs improvement. We are the perfect role in helping them on that," said Gu.

Yet problems exist in promoting their business in the region. Haifu's equipment faces difficulty in getting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authentication, which is the globally-renowned standard for medical equipment that the American market values to evaluate a product. The company said the reason lies in technological competition. "But without this standard, there is no doubt that we face the challenge to receive a larger market share in America," added Gu.