West China School of Medicine/West China Hospital of Sichuan University (WCSM/WCH), also as known as Huaxi Hospital or The International Hospital of Sichuan Province, is a prestigious and well-known medical center located in Chengdu city, Sichuan Province.
WCSM/WCH has adopted a unique system in which one leadership team manages both institutions. This "dual organization" has continuously innovated its management model and initiated a series of scientifically-based reforms, which has ensured sustainable development of the hospital. WCH has been ranked among the best several times in the annual competition "Hospital Management Year" conducted by the Ministry of Health, and it won the Asian Hospital Management Award in 2008. Its management and achievements have been widely recognized at home and abroad, and it has hosted hundreds of visits by leaders from large and medium-sized hospitals each year in the recent decade.
WCSM/WCH continues to pursue the philosophy of "Care and Service" with the spirit of "serving humanity, exploring science and pursuing excellence". It strives to uphold the motto of the hospital – "Morals, distinction, knowledge, truth, innovation and excellence" by serving its homeland and world with selfless dedication. WCSM/WCH forges ahead towards the goal of establishing itself as an internationally acclaimed center of research and clinical excellence.
When the Wenchuan earthquake of 8.0 on the Richter scale hit Sichuan Province in 2008, WCH, as the regional healthcare center closest to the epicenter, acted as a "Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Earthquake-wounded Persons and Patients with Difficult and Complicated Diseases", as a "Technical Supporting Center for Hospitals in the Affected Areas", and as a "Logistics Support Center for Medical Rescue Teams from Other Provinces". WCH ranked at the top among hospitals nationwide for the number of severely wounded persons treated and the rate of patient survival, achieving several miracles in the history of medical rescue efforts. After the earthquake, WCH was referred to as the "backbone" of the medical rescue efforts by the media. Its staff was praised by Premier Wen Jiabao as "not only morally respectable but also highly skilled", and the hospital was awarded the honorary title of "Heroic Organization in Earthquake Relief and Rescue" by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu in China's Qinghai Province on April 14, 2010. West China Hospital sent a medical team to the disaster area on the same day, then donated medical supplies worth 5.5 million yuan to aid relief work in the area. Meanwhile, the hospital treated more earthquake victims than any other hospitals outside Qinghai Province.
