China to Allow Wholly Foreign-owned Hospitals in Tianjin and Other Areas

China plans to allow the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in certain cities and regions across the country, according to an official document unveiled on Sunday.

These hospitals will be permitted to open in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and throughout the island of Hainan, according to a circular jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce, the National Health Commission, and the National Medical Products Administration on further expanding pilot programs for opening up in the medical field.

The move comes as part of efforts aimed at expanding the opening-up of the healthcare sector, attracting foreign investment to promote the high-quality development of medical services and better meeting the medical needs of the public, the circular said.

The circular noted that the conditions, requirements and procedures for establishing these hospitals will be specified later.

The circular further told the local authorities involved to better engage and serve those foreign enterprises that are interested, enhance communication between authorities, and intensify the supervision and management of pilot enterprises, thus timely identifying relevant risks and effectively preventing them.