In December 2022, the National Health Commission published an official document, in which it designated Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine as the one of main hospitals in developing the national center for orthopaedics and approved the establishment of the center at the hospital.

Today, 300 million people participate in winter sports in China, and 30 million people are marathon runners, while 300 million people are aging. People’s health needs are evolving with the times, becoming more diverse and coming in multiple levels. It is in addressing the numerous clinical challenges and various medical needs of the patients that the Orthopaedics Department of Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital has developed by leaps and bounds. The National Center for Orthopaedics was officially launched as an affiliate institution of Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital on February 26th, 2023, marking another milestone for the Orthopaedics Department in its journey towards the goal of establishing “A Chinese Medical Center of World-class Standard”.

Li Dachuan, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission's Medical Administration Bureau, Wen Daxiang, a Shanghai Health Commission official, and Qiu Guixing, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering delivered inaugural address. Chen Fang, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, hosted the inaugural ceremony. Yin Shankai, President of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, gave the welcoming remarks.

The Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, was formally founded in 1959. Many stars appeared over the course of history of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. It is the hospital where the world'sfirst case of replantation of a severed limb was reported and the world-renowned Chinese surgeons once worked and are still working. Chen Zhongwei and Yu Zhongjia, the forefathers, carried forward the spirit of "daring to be the first and willing and ready to sacrifice" and created a series of highlight moments. Inspired and motivated by such spirit, the Department of Orthopedic Surgery has kept growing through inheritance and innovation. Now the Department of Orthopedics has become a giant in orthopedics that boasts of complete discipline system, unique technical features, and extraordinary technological innovation capabilities.

The high quality of healthcare services of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery was acknowledged by the 2020 Golden Quality Award of Shanghai Municipality. The approval of the founding of the National Center for Orthopedics on December 30, 2022 bears testimony to the comprehensive strength of the Department of Orthopedics. The new journey to become leader of orthopedics in China has just begun. Zhang Changqing, director of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, elaborated on the department's visions: In the future, more focus will be placed on the diagnosis and treatment of difficult and critical diseases, cultivation of high-level talents in orthopedics, high-level basic medical research and transformation of clinical research achievements, and discipline construction and management. In-depth development will be carried out in precision medicine and intelligent medicine and the conversion fromtheexperience- and generalization-based approach tothestandardization- and intelligence-based approach. While establishing a quality benchmark for orthopedics, the Department of Orthopedic Surgery will explore new model, new technology, and new concept of orthopedic care with Chinese characteristics; formulate consensus-based industrial, national and international standards, thereby achieving all-around demonstration and guidance in quality, standard, and brand.

The National Center for Orthopedics will serve as the new platform for elevating China's overall healthcare level and promoting China's deep participation in international medical competition. As to the missions to be fulfilled by the National Center for Orthopedics, Yin Shankai, President of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital and chief of the National Center for Orthopedics, said that the National Center for Orthopedics represents an exploratory effort to become an Asian medical center and establish the reputation of Shanghai Six People's Hospital as the provider of high-end medical services. The Hospital will seek new breakthroughs and make a new leap through the development of the National Center of Orthopedics and by centering around national strategies and people's health; further improve the medical and health service system, promote expansion of healthcare resources, and balance the regional allocation of the resources;andaim at the world's highest standard and level, and lead and drive China's construction and high-end developmentof the discipline of orthopedics.

It is reported that as the main hospital of the National Center for Orthopedics, the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Six People's Hospital has mastered the state-of-art concepts and technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic diseases. A complete set of technical specifications and protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases, frequently encountered disease and intractable diseases in every orthopedic subspeciality has been established. Seven technologies have reached the advanced international level. The orthopedic surgeries performed in the past 5 years involve 97.9% of all core technologies in orthopedic surgery. Meanwhile, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital gives full play to its leadership and influential power in the Yangtze River Delta region, promoting the development of medical alliance in orthopedics. The Hospital has been actively involved in building regional trauma centers in Fujian and Anhui through talent cultivation and technology export. So far, the National Center for Orthopedics has 27 orthopedic medical complexes and supportive hospitals and has established the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system that accords with the diagnostic and therapeutic features of orthopedic illnesses. There are 5 medical group hospitals, 19 technical cooperation hospitals, and 3 counterpart support hospitals in this alliance.

Opportunities for talent training are offered within the medical alliance and to grassroots healthcare institutions through academic exchanges, adult education programs, refresher courses, remote consultation, and sending doctor to the countryside. The penetration of state-of-the-art technologies into the grassroots level improves the service ability of grassroots hospitals and increases the accessibility to services provided by tertiary hospitals. Technical guidance is being offered to boost tiered diagnosis and treatment in orthopedics.

Along with the evolution of orthopedics, the concept of intelligent orthopedics has emerged, which marks a new era for digital intelligent diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic diseases. Empowered by digital intelligent technologies and clinical advances, Shanghai Sixth People'sHospital will be devoted to creating application scenarios of digital intelligent technologies, upgrading the diagnosis and treatment process, and constructing a brand-new medical ecology. The missions are to fuel the trends towards minimal invasiveness, standardization, and intelligentization of orthopedic surgeries, boost progress in orthopedic surgeries, accelerate the research and development and transformation of intelligent diagnostic system for orthopedic diseases, and finally promote China's independent innovation ability and international competitiveness in intelligent orthopedic surgery.