Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

THE Shenzhen Municipal Public Hygiene and Health Commission signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Singapore’s Luye Medical Group at the 2024 Shenzhen Global Investment Promotion Conference on Friday, paving the way for the construction of the first wholly foreign-owned hospital in the city.

According to the agreement, the group will leverage its domestic and international medical resources to establish an international medical headquarters in Shenzhen and pilot the construction of a wholly foreign-funded specialized hospital.

The hospital aims to provide diversified medical services to residents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The development comes on the heels of the National Health Commission and three other government departments releasing a pilot work plan Nov. 29 that allows the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in some major cities. The plan is seen as a move to further open up the country’s medical sector.

The plan grants approval to the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, as well as the island province of Hainan.

It outlines specific conditions for the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals, setting the stage for greater foreign investment in China’s healthcare industry.

In response to the national plan, Shenzhen swiftly formulated a package of measures to support wholly foreign-owned hospitals, which will be announced shortly, according to the city’s health authority.

At the investment promotion conference, the Shenzhen Municipal Public Hygiene and Health Commission briefed attendees on the upcoming supportive measures and highlighted Shenzhen’s unique advantages in attracting wholly foreign-owned hospitals.

Liu Dianbo, chairman of Luye Life Sciences Group, said that Shenzhen’s vitality, government efficiency, and industrial ecosystem make him confident in the company’s future development in Shenzhen.

Luye Medical Group, headquartered in Singapore, is the healthcare service division of Luye Life Sciences Group. It has business operations in Australia, Singapore, and China. In 2020, the group officially entered the Chinese market.