Perspectives of IBD China: Is Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Model a Solution to Health Care Issues for the Country?

The success of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), now Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCF) has established a role model for developing countries with an increasing incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including China. While there are shared etiopathogenetic pathways and clinical features in IBD between Eastern and Western countries, patients with IBD as well as health care professionals in China are facing distinctive challenges, including the fragmented and inconsistent health insurance, social support system, and three-tiered health care service. Financial burden remains to be a tremendous obstacle to the management of IBD. In addition, poor rapport between patients and clinicians, and the lack of properly trained IBD specialists makes a noticeable gap in the management of IBD between China and Western countries. The China Crohn’s &Colitis Foundation (CCCF), closely following the successful model of CCF, was established under the same doctrine, and served as a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to improving quality of life of patients in by IBD through education and training.