On March 24, 2025, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital underwent an on-site evaluation for the accreditation of its General Surgery Training Program by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). The delegation was led by Prof. Rowan Parks, President of RCSEd, and included Prof. Zhang Guoliang, Head of General Surgery Joint Specialty Training Program, Prof. Zhu Jianmin, President of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong, and Prof. Zhang Dantu, Vice President of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong. They conducted a comprehensive assessment of the hospital’s general surgery training program. The hospital’s leadership, including President Yu Xueqing, Vice Presidents Lin Zhanyi and Li Yong, and Chen Rufu, Vice President of the Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, along with directors of surgical departments, medical education administrators, and representatives from the Education Department, attended related events. The hospital had previously passed the document review phase, advancing smoothly to this on-site accreditation stage.
The RCSEd accreditation process was rigorous and thorough, encompassing facility tours, inspections, interviews, and feedback discussions. The expert panel visited key clinical and educational areas such as outpatient clinics, surgical wards, ICUs, operating rooms, and the Medical Simulation and Education Center to gain a detailed understanding of the hospital’s facilities, teaching environment, and training conditions.
During the review meeting, presided over by Vice President Lin Zhanyi, President Yu Xueqing extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to the accreditation team. He highlighted the hospital’s consistent excellence in national public hospital performance evaluations, including recently receiving the highest “A++” rating—placing it among the top 1% of hospitals in China—and reaffirming its position as a leading tertiary public hospital. He emphasized that the General Surgery, as a key discipline, boasts a mature training system, highly qualified faculty, and state-of-the-art training facilities, all of which contribute to high-quality education for trainees.
Prof. Rowan Parks noted that RCSEd is committed to collaborating with outstanding medical institutions worldwide to cultivate surgical professionals with international perspectives. He stated that accrediting Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital’s General Surgery Training Program not only recognizes the quality of its training but also marks a promising start for future cooperation. He expressed hope for expanded collaboration across more areas to jointly advance innovation and development in surgical medical education.
Prof. Wang Jinsong, Head of the Education Department, provided a detailed report on the General Surgery Training Program. She outlined the hospital’s comprehensive surgical skill training system, which ranges from foundational to advanced levels, and includes specialized laparoscopic training. The program is supported by high-fidelity simulation equipment such as the Hyper-Realistic Integrated Adult Simulator HAL and the Da Vinci Surgical Simulator, offering trainees an immersive clinical practice environment. Trainees gain exposure to a wide variety of cases and participate in diverse educational activities, including surgeries, teaching rounds, and discussions on complications and mortality, all aimed at nurturing skilled, professionally ethical surgeons with global perspectives.
The accreditation panel conducted interviews with current trainees and reviewed rotation logbooks to assess the actual training experience. Following internal discussions, the experts unanimously concluded that the General Surgery Training Program at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital meets international standards across multiple domains, particularly excelling in training structure, faculty expertise, and facility resources.
This accreditation will pave the way for closer collaboration between the hospital and RCSEd, including initiatives in academic exchange, faculty development, and trainee exchanges. These efforts will further promote the growth of general surgery education and contribute to the global advancement of surgical medical training.
