BAO’AN District saw the opening of its first large public hospital yesterday, part of the effort the city government has been making to relieve pressure on current public hospitals by building more outside the city center.
    Situated in the coastal area of the Bao’an CBD and near the Xin’an Metro Station, the Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University covers 82,412 square meters and can handle 8,000 outpatients every day with 1,000 inpatient beds available for the time being.
    Some areas of the hospital, including the emergency room and the surgery rooms, are expected to open in another five months, Liao Sizhao, president of the hospital, told reporters yesterday. When the second stage of construction is completed, the hospital will be able to treat 2,500 inpatients.
    Construction on the hospital started in December 2008 when it was known as Xin’an Hospital. In September last year, the city government reached an agreement with the Guangzhou-based Southern Medical University to let the latter run and manage the hospital.
    Built by the Shenzhen Municipal Government following nationally defined Grade-A hospital standards, the hospital is the sixth hospital affiliated with the university and will receive operating subsidies from the government for three years after opening. The hospital’s first stage of construction cost 1.2 billion yuan (US$185.28 million), according to city health and medical authorities.
    It is the second hospital that the city government has fostered under the management of an established university. The first being the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, which is tasked with exploring ways to reform public hospitals in China, said Luo Lexuan, head of Shenzhen’s health commission.
    “It’s the first completed project after Shenzhen initiated a program to encourage the introduction of renowned doctors, medical service brands and medical schools to the city,” Luo said yesterday at the opening ceremony. “Hopefully it will become an example of successful medical reform in Shenzhen or even nationwide.”
    A large hospital like this will benefit residents in Bao’an, said Huang Min, Party chief of the district.
    “We can find ways for patients who want to see a doctor working at another hospital that is affiliated with the Southern Medical University,” said president Liao. “Our vision is that residents in Bao’an need not to travel outside the district to see a doctor and residents in Shenzhen don’t need to travel outside the city to see a well-established doctor.”
    The hospital has received more than 4,100 job applications and recruited 26 established doctors to lead the departments, with 80 percent of them having overseas study or work experience.