The Fifth ALS and Rare Disease Rehabilitation Forum Held

On the afternoon of 28 February, the Fifth ALS and Rare Disease Rehabilitation Forum was held in Guangdong, and Guangdong’s first ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) rehabilitation and care centre was officially inaugurated at the People’s Hospital of Baiyun District, Guangzhou. The event was organised by the Oriental Siyu ALS and Rare Disease Care Centre and the People’s Hospital of Baiyun District, Guangzhou, with support from the Rare Disease Nutrition Committee of the CNHFA.

Guests including Cao Yuejin, Executive Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Association for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities; Professor Fan Dongsheng, Chair of the Rare Disease Rehabilitation Committee of the China Association for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Chair of the Rare Disease Nutrition Committee of the CNHFA, and Professor at Peking University Third Hospital; and Wan Yanrong, Secretary-General of the Rare Disease Rehabilitation Committee of the China Association for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities and Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director of the Beijing Oriental Siyu ALS and Rare Disease Care Centre, delivered speeches. Professor Fan Dongsheng; Zhong Zhiru, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Rehabilitation Centre for Persons with Disabilities; Bao Hanhui, Director of the Baiyun District Health Commission, Guangzhou; Huang Yongmei, President of the People’s Hospital of Baiyun District, Guangzhou; and Wan Yanrong, Vice-Chairperson of the Beijing Oriental Siyu ALS Care Centre, jointly unveiled the plaque for the “ALS Rehabilitation and Care Centre”. This landmark initiative not only fills a gap in ALS-specific rehabilitation and care services in Guangdong Province, but also opens a new chapter for the integrated development of ALS diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation in South China, bringing improved prospects for quality of life and professional care to many ALS patients and their families.

At the ceremony, Cao Yuejin, Executive Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Association for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, and Zhong Zhijia, Deputy Director of the Baiyun District Health Commission, Guangzhou, presented letters of appointment to Professor Fan Dongsheng and other specially appointed experts of the centre.

Following the unveiling ceremony, the “Integrating Medical and Rehabilitation Care: Moving Forward Together” — Fifth ALS and Rare Disease Rehabilitation Forum was successfully held. Chaired by Professor Fan Dongsheng, the forum brought together dozens of leading experts from across China in ALS diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, including Professor Zhang Min of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Participants engaged in in-depth academic exchanges and discussions on core topics such as “ALS Drug Development and Accessibility”, “Integration and Breakthroughs in ALS Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation”, and “The Importance of Integrating Medical and Rehabilitation Care for ALS Patients”, sharing cutting-edge research findings and clinical experience. Professor Luo Yongmei, a member of the Rare Disease Nutrition Committee of the CNHFA, delivered a keynote lecture on “Nutritional Management for ALS Patients”. The forum attracted over 200 healthcare professionals. The event was broadcast live nationwide to ALS patient communities, allowing high-quality academic resources and clinical expertise to reach a wider audience.

During the forum, the guests visited the specialised ward established by the Department of Neurology at the People’s Hospital of Baiyun District, Guangzhou, for ALS patients. They gained first-hand insight into the hospital’s personalised care approaches, including respiratory support, rehabilitation management, and psychological counselling. They also witnessed a live demonstration of how medical staff use advanced assistive devices to help patients improve communication and enhance their quality of life, and spoke highly of the hospital’s well-developed ALS diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation system, as well as its compassionate, patient-centred care.

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