Big news in the healthcare sector! The Chinese mainland has announced a new plan that allows wholly foreign-owned hospitals to set up shop in some of its major cities. 🏥✨
The pilot work plan, released by the National Health Commission (NHC) along with three other government departments, targets cities like Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, as well as the island province of Hainan.
Why the change? The NHC highlighted the growing demand in the domestic medical market and the strong interest from foreign investors looking to make their mark in China's booming healthcare industry.
As of 2023, China boasts over 38,000 hospitals, but public hospitals make up less than a third of that number. Interestingly, public hospitals handle a whopping 83.5% of patient visits nationwide! 📈
For over two decades, China has allowed joint-venture medical institutions with foreign investors, and now, this new plan takes it a step further by permitting full foreign ownership. There are already more than 60 foreign-invested joint-venture medical institutions in the country.
However, not everything is up for grabs. Traditional Chinese medicine hospitals are excluded from this plan, and foreign entities cannot acquire public hospitals. The goal is to bring in high-level international medical resources, improve medical service supply, and optimize the business environment.
Wholly foreign-owned hospitals can operate as general, specialty, or rehabilitation hospitals, but there are some restrictions. For instance, they can't perform high-risk medical activities like human organ transplantation.
This move is set to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare services in China, making top-notch medical care available to more people. 🌟
