本文选自《经济学人》12月5日刊文章。长期以来，庞大、谨慎的医疗机构一直很难改革，但是在这场大流行面前，也不得不做出改变。这次大流行推动了医疗机构的数字化、在线远程医疗兴起，节约了医疗成本，也让医疗保健更普及。但这也破坏了现存医疗机构的利益，疫情过后，这种降低医疗成本的千载难逢的机会可能会消失。
选文精讲
The digital surge in health careHow will the pandemic change health care?VAST, BUREAUCRATIC and amorphous, health care has long been cautious about change. However, the biggest emergency in decades has caused a revolution. From laboratories to operating theatres, the industry’s metabolism has soared, as medical workers have scrambled to help the sick. Hastily and often successfully, they have improvised with new technologies. Their creativity holds the promise of a new era of innovation that will lower costs, boost access for the poor and improve treatment. But to sustain it, governments must stop powerful lobbies from blocking the innovation surge when the pandemic abates.
- scramble to do sth: 忙着做某事
庞大的、官僚主义的、无组织的医疗体系，长期以来一直对变革保持谨慎。然而，几十年来最大的疫情引发了（医疗体系的）一场革命，从实验室到手术室，随着医务人员忙着帮助病人，该行业的升级在加速。他们临时利用一些新技术，很匆忙但通常都很成功。他们的创造力为一个创新的新时代带来了希望，这个新时代会降低（医疗）成本，推动穷人获得和改善治疗。但要维持这种趋势，各国政府必须阻止强大的游说团体在疫情消退时阻挠创新的继续。Covid-19 has led to the spectacular development of vaccines using novel mRNA technologies. But there have also been countless smaller miracles as health workers have experimented to save lives. Obsolete IT-procurement rules have been binned and video-calls and voice-transcription software adopted. Machines are being maintained remotely by their makers. With patients stuck at home, doctors have rushed to adopt digital monitoring of those recovering from heart attacks. Organisational silos have been dismantled. All this has taken place alongside a boom in venture-capital-raising for medical innovation: $8bn worldwide in the most recent quarter, double the figure from a year earlier. JD Health, a Chinese digital-medicine star, has just listed in Hong Kong.
Covid-19带来了新型mRNA技术疫苗的惊人发展。不过在医疗工作者在尝试拯救生命的过程中，也有无数的小奇迹。过时的信息采集规则被抛弃，视频电话和语音转录软件被采用；机器由制造商远程维护；由于患者被困在家中，医生们纷纷采用数字监控技术，对那些心脏病患者进行监控；组织壁垒被拆除，与此同时，医疗创新的风险投资也在蓬勃发展:最近一个季度，全球风险投资达80亿美元，比去年同期翻了一番。中国数字医药巨头京东健康刚刚在香港上市。
