Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    TWO Shenzhen medical service firms have obtained China’s first business license for an online hospital they are developing in hopes of launching it next month.

    Called 91160-Yunshan Medical Online Hospital, it is the result of a cooperation deal between 91160.com, a leading online platform for hospital reservation services, and Yunshan Medical, which runs a medical center in Futian District that boasts famed doctors from outside the city.

    It is China’s first online hospital to receive a license, although traditional hospitals as well as Internet-based health-care firms have long been providing medical services online to woo the rising number of e-patients.

    Wang Jianzhong, an official with Shenzhen’s health commission, believes the hospital is an innovation that will bring positive results, such as easier access to doctors and higher-efficiency hospitals.

    “An online hospital is fundamentally a hospital,” said Luo Ningzheng, CEO of 91160.com, which was established in 2005 by Shenzhen Ningyuan Technology Co. “It will greatly optimize the process of seeking medical care.”

    Ideally, Luo hopes to integrate his online hospital with brick-and-mortar hospitals, allowing patients to have online consultations with doctors via video calls and to get e-prescriptions for medical device-aided checkups or surgeries at traditional hospitals or clinics. Other anticipated services include online payment and medicine delivery.

    “Such a model is the future of online hospitals and enjoys strong advantages,” Luo said.

    The two companies are still working on developing the hospital’s app, WeChat account and website, through which patients will be able to use the services, Luo said yesterday.

    With 500,000 doctors registered on 91160.com, and several hundred established doctors at Yunshan’s medical center, a spinal surgeon and chairman of Yunshan Medical, Li Zhen, believes that the online hospital they are developing will save a lot of patients’ time and ease the difficulties in accessing medical resources, a major complaint of residents.

    “National statistics show that among China’s more than 7 billion annual outpatient visits, nearly 60 percent are return visits and at least two-thirds of the return visits could be done online,” said Li.