CTV National News: Experimental diabetes treatments hits major milestone
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A Canadian woman is praising an experimental treatment for diabetes. Avis Favaro with more on her experience.
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Canada News.Net
5 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Hainan free trade port moves to forefront of China's opening-up drive
HAIKOU, June 21 (Xinhua) -- For Canadian visitor Stephanie Wing See Yau, the therapy experience at a care center in Bo'ao, a coastal city in China's southernmost island province of Hainan, felt more like "a vacation." "This place is top-notch. They cater to so many aspects of wellness, not just physical, but mental too," she told Xinhua during her stay in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, which hosts over 30 top-tier domestic and international medical institutions. Thanks to special policy support, the pilot zone has introduced 485 cutting-edge medicines and medical devices that are licensed abroad but not yet available in the domestic market. The policy has benefited more than 130,000 patients, including individuals like Yau. Her four-day experience -- blending advanced health screenings, traditional therapies, tea ceremonies, and cultural immersion -- offers much more than just a chance to relax. It showcases a tangible outcome of a key move in China's opening-up strategy: the transformation of Hainan into a Free Trade Port (FTP). As the Hainan FTP is set to begin independent customs operations by the end of the year, it is poised to become not only a tourist haven but also a pivotal gateway for China's opening-up drive. FRONTIER FOR FREE-FLOWING FACTORS A central component of this transformation is the Lecheng medical tourism pilot zone. A total of 25 medical tourism routes have been rolled out to cater to a wide range of needs, including traditional Chinese medicine, chronic disease care, luxury diagnostics and cosmetic rehab, garnering popularity among visitors from countries such as Indonesia, Russia, Spain, and beyond. In 2024, the medical special zone attracted over 410,000 medical visitors, up 36.76 percent year on year. Lecheng is only one part of Hainan's wider push for opening up. Beyond the medical sector, the province has been fast-tracking foreign access across sectors ranging from finance and education to communication and high-tech industries, as China aims to build an FTP with global top-tier trade standards. Hainan, supported by the country's vast domestic market and its strategic positioning, stands as a vital hub that connects the world's second-largest economy with global markets. The FTP is gearing up to be "a pivotal gateway leading China's new era of opening-up," said Chi Fulin, head of the China Institute for Reform and Development. With independent customs operations imminent, the FTP's policy framework, underpinned by features like zero tariffs, low tax rates, simplified tax systems and facilitated factor flows, has taken shape. For firms in Lecheng, a zero-tariff policy on medical imports has saved nearly 8.2 million yuan (about 1.14 million U.S. dollars) in duties since December 2024. The start of independent customs operations will represent a concrete step toward building a major gateway for China's high-level opening-up, Chi said. INSTITUTIONAL OPENING-UP LURING FOREIGN CAPITAL As Hainan FTP has prioritized institutional integration and coordination across trade, finance and regulatory systems, experts believe this will create a powerful driving force for the development of the FTP and contribute to China's high-standard opening up strategy. Official data showed that so far, the province has rolled out a total of 158 institutional innovation cases. These reform measures include technology-empowered public tendering, one-stop business licensing, and a specialized IP zone to support the seed industry. Hainan FTP serves not only as a testing ground for free-flowing goods, services and data, but as a frontier for the innovation of regulations and mechanisms, said Zhou Xiaochuan, vice chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA). With its optimized business environment, Hainan has emerged as a premier foreign investment destination, ranking among China's top performers. In 2024, the number of foreign-invested enterprises in Hainan rose 19.2 percent year on year, while its foreign direct investment volume climbed to the tenth spot nationally. To date, Hainan has attracted investment from 158 countries and regions, while its economic openness ratio -- the ratio of total trade to GDP -- more than doubled from 17.3 percent in 2018 to 35 percent in 2024. High-profile events held in the province like the BFA, a premier platform advocating openness and multilateral cooperation, and the China International Consumer Products Expo, the largest consumer expo in the Asia-Pacific region, offer global investors dynamic gateways to observe the country's evolving openness agenda. DFS, the travel retail company of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, in 2024 sealed its largest single investment in 60 years to launch a landmark complex in Yalong Bay of Sanya, the well-known tropical resort city in Hainan. The project will merge luxury retail, hotels and entertainment, with the goal of building a top destination for luxury shopping and tourism. "Hainan FTP embodies China's commitment to high-standard openness," said Nancy Liu, president of DFS China. China's special economic zones, like Hainan FTP and the 21 pilot free trade zones, serve as pivotal engines for industrial transformation and opening up, Chi noted, highlighting their role as "growth accelerators for both regional and global economies." When the independent customs operations begin, Hainan FTP will create key opportunities for international enterprises to access China's domestic market more efficiently, and play a greater role in enhancing market connectivity with global markets through service trade-focused regulatory alignment, he added.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
CTV National News: Experimental diabetes treatments hits major milestone
Watch A Canadian woman is praising an experimental treatment for diabetes. Avis Favaro with more on her experience.
CBC
11 hours ago
- CBC
Interior Health's plans to close lab in Trail, B.C. leaves mayor and residents blindsided
Interior Health plans to close its Trail medical lab on July 28, moving those employees to the hospital and the lab's services to LifeLabs, a private company, but the mayor and some residents are calling for the health authority to reconsider. The move, announced in a press release on June 13, would mean people in need of lab services such as blood tests and electrocardiograms (ECGs) will have to go to LifeLabs in Waneta Plaza, about 6 kilometres east of the Interior Health lab, which is downtown in the Trail Health Centre. Interior Health said the lab is being closed to make the best use of staffing resources and to improve testing for patients at Trail's Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, which serves a large area including communities from Grand Forks to Nelson. Since the announcement, CBC News has heard from the mayor and a handful of Trail residents who say they were shocked by the decision and that there was little consultation on the matter. The mayor is hoping that Interior Health will reconsider, or at least meet with the community to hear their concerns. "There was no consultation, we had no idea it was happening," Mayor Colleen Jones told CBC News, adding that staff also had little notice. Joanne Isbur, Interior Health's program director for pathology and lab medicine services, said staff will shift to the hospital to improve acute care and emergency department response. She said there are "staffing deficits" across the region, and the extra staff at the hospital will also improve services for urgent and critical patients, like cancer care and those with pre-surgical requirements. "Interior Health recognizes that this is a significant change for patients and care providers, and employees. We've provided some time for patients to transition over to the LifeLabs location," Isbur said. She pointed out that LifeLabs is working in partnership with the Provincial Health Services Authority and the Ministry of Health, so services offered through LifeLabs will still be covered under the Medical Services Plan. Resident Helen Bobbitt has antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, an autoimmune condition which can cause blood clots. She relies on the clinic for regular testing and said the move is a mistake. "I have a blood clot disorder, and if it weren't for the staff in the location of this lab, where I have to sometimes go and get last-minute lab work and have been doing so for the last 22 years, I wouldn't be able to stay on top of things," Bobbitt said. "If they (Interior Health) can do this, with no – zero – consultation, what else can they do?" She also voiced frustration about no longer having a lab located downtown, adding that the lab has been a staple in the community for more than 20 years. Mayor Jones said the infrequent bus service to the Waneta Plaza will make the location more difficult for seniors and people with mobility issues to access. On Thursday, Jones said she hopes Interior Health will reconsider the closure. She has requested a meeting with the health authority. CBC News reached out to Interior Health for comment and they said they are working on a response. Bobbit said she's also concerned about the influx of patients at LifeLabs creating long wait-times and reducing their staffing resources. She said people from several other outlying communities, like Fruitvale, about 16 kilometres east of Trail, rely on the Interior Health lab. "You're giving no choice but to drive everybody to one location that's only open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with no transportation to rely on to get there safely," Bobbit said. Capacity not an issue, says Interior Health The Trail Health Centre lab saw approximately 80 to 85 patients per day over the past six months, Interior Health said, adding LifeLabs has the ability to take on these new patients. "LifeLabs developed that location to accommodate the Trail community population. They do have the capacity to meet patient volumes," Isbur said. In an emailed statement to CBC News, LifeLabs confirmed it is prepared to take on the large number of new patients, adding that the location in Trail has been open since 2023. "We will be working closely with Interior Health to ensure a smooth transition for patients and health-care providers. We look forward to continuing to provide reliable, efficient, and trustworthy services for the community of Trail," the lab said in the statement. It added that all patients who visit LifeLabs will have access to a portal that can be used to manage appointments and view results through MyCareCompass. This is separate from the MyHealthPortal with Interior Health.
