Tianjin and HK plan closer cooperation on healthcare

Tianjin will build closer ties with Hong Kong in medical care cooperation and exchanges, said a senior official from the North China city's health commission.

"Tianjin attaches great importance to the medical exchange and collaborations. We have been in close communications with Hong Kong's counterparts in terms of friendship visits, professional exchanges and academic researches," said Zhang Fuxia, deputy director of the Tianjin Health Commission. 

Tianjin hopes to enhance communications in general practitioner management, public hygiene, hospital management and traditional Chinese medicines with Hong Kong, Zhang added.

"In particular, Tianjin local medical circles want to strengthen academic research in nursing, general practitioners, daytime surgical operations with Hong Kong counterparts," the deputy director said.

Echoing Zhang, Lam Tzit-yuen, vice-president of Hong Kong Medical Association, said: "Hong Kong's general practitioners' management has its unique advantages and independent supervision and management of the medical circle hits international level, which could echo Zhang's expectations in building greater ties between Tianjin and Hong Kong."

He added that Hong Kong can also learn from Tianjin. "The fast connection and hospital transfer service between the community medical centers and hospitals in Tianjin could help the patients gain treatment as soon as possible, which is the weakness of Hong Kong," he said, adding that usually it takes around two months for patients in Hong Kong to transfer to public specialized hospitals from community medical centers.

Tse Hung-hing, former president of Hong Kong Medical Association, said he was impressed by the leading technology at the 140-year-old Tianjin Children's Hospital, and the 83,000-square-meter Longyan area exclusively devoted to children's healthcare.

"The Hong Kong children's hospital is new, yet it is hard to offer comprehensive treatments to diseases from primary to rare ones, like Tianjin Children's Hospital," he said.

UMP Healthcare, a Hong Kong medical service provider, started a program in Tianjin in May.

Six Hong Kong doctors are now working at the Huayuan Community Medical Center as the result of the program and it also has helped train 11 local doctors. 

"The mainland has given us great opportunities to boost our presence and fulfill our ambition in the online medical consultation business," said Felix Lee, executive director of UMP Healthcare Holdings Limited, adding that online medical consultations have certain pinches in Hong Kong due to its legal restrictions.

The Hong Kong medical service provider has provided consultations to up to 1.6 million patients after it set up 26 consulting rooms in South China' Guangdong province last year.

"We are eyeing the opportunities in Tianjin, and expect to open 10 such consulting rooms, in the near future," said Lee.

In the near future, much closer contacts are expected to be built, local medical authorities said.