Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital Launches Internet Hospital with Online Consultation and Medicine Delivery Services
On December 20, the construction of the Internet Hospital at Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University was officially launched, and it was unveiled as the Shenzhen Base of the WeDoctor Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform.
Building on the medical consortium established through the collaboration between Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University and WeDoctor Guangzhou Internet Hospital, this internet hospital leverages its affiliated physical hospital to integrate the entire healthcare service workflow. Upon its official launch, it will provide residents of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with integrated online-offline medical services covering pre-diagnosis, during-diagnosis, and post-diagnosis stages, including online follow-up consultations, e-prescriptions, medication delivery, and chronic disease management.
Currently, the internet hospital has launched functions such as online appointment booking, health consultations, online inquiry of laboratory and examination reports, and remote consultations. It has also established a complete end-to-end digital healthcare workflow, including online follow-up visits, electronic medical records, e-prescriptions, and home delivery of medications. The platform will officially commence operations upon regulatory approval. This announcement, made as part of the series of events celebrating the third anniversary of the opening of Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University, marks a new phase in the innovation of service models at the Shenzhen Hospital.
On that day, the WeDoctor Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform launched its upgraded new domain name, h.gov.cn, at its Shenzhen base. Through this new domain, mobile platforms, and the dedicated hotline 95169-888, residents of the Greater Bay Area can access high-quality medical services across multiple channels, including those provided by the Internet Hospital of Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital.
Since the launch of China’s reform and opening-up policy, Shenzhen has rapidly transformed from a closed and underdeveloped border agricultural county into a national economic hub and an internationalized city. As the forefront city of reform and opening-up, Shenzhen is at the national forefront in the healthcare sector, including medical services, medical devices, biopharmaceuticals, and precision medicine.
On April 28, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Development of 'Internet + Medical Health'," encouraging medical institutions to leverage information technologies such as the internet to expand the scope and content of medical services. As the first flagship hospital project under Shenzhen’s "Three Famous Projects" initiative, Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital has partnered with WeDoctor Guangzhou Internet Hospital to pioneer the establishment of an internet hospital by utilizing technologies including the internet, big data, and artificial intelligence, thereby providing innovative medical and health services to residents in Shenzhen and even the broader Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Liao Sizhao, President of Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University, stated that this initiative represents an innovation and upgrade to the existing internet hospital model in the industry, achieving seamless connectivity between physical hospitals and online platforms. Currently, the hospital has established a closed-loop service system encompassing appointment scheduling, online follow-up consultations, electronic prescriptions, and home medication delivery. For patients with chronic diseases, specialists have transitioned from being distant acquaintances with limited understanding of their conditions to becoming exclusive “family doctors” with comprehensive insights into their health status. In the future, patients requiring follow-up care will no longer need to make in-person visits; they can obtain prescriptions and make payments through the internet hospital, while enjoying the convenience of having medications delivered directly to their homes, as simple as online shopping.
The launch event showcased the convenient medical care process for 76-year-old Mr. Chen (a pseudonym) via an internet hospital. Mr. Chen has suffered from hypertension and diabetes for over two decades, requiring regular follow-up visits to the hospital. In the past week, his postprandial blood glucose levels were poorly controlled, prompting him to seek a timely follow-up consultation on how to manage the situation. Through the “Internet Hospital” portal on the official WeChat account of Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital, Mr. Chen communicated online with Dr. Xu Lingling, Director of the Endocrinology Department, who was already familiar with his case. Based on Mr. Chen’s previous medical records, test results, and current blood glucose status, Dr. Xu recommended adjusting his hypoglycemic regimen by adding Acarbose tablets. She issued an electronic prescription, and after Mr. Chen completed the online payment, the newly prescribed Acarbose tablets were scheduled for direct delivery to his home.
“Shenzhen is a fertile ground for reform and innovation. As a pioneer of Shenzhen’s ‘Internet + Healthcare’ initiatives, Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital has truly established a patient-centered healthcare service model through deep integration with the WeDoctor Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform, enabling residents of Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area to more conveniently access high-quality ‘proactive health’ services,” said Zhang Qunhua, Chief Medical Officer of WeDoctor and Dean of Guangzhou Internet Hospital.
Facing Hong Kong and backed by Guangzhou, Shenzhen needs to leverage its position as an innovation hub and its core geographical advantages to serve as a “bridge” for medical collaboration among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. In just three years since its opening, Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University has implemented a wide range of highly complex medical techniques, with departments such as Neurology, Gastroenterology, Orthopedics, General Surgery, Dermatology, and Pediatric Otolaryngology ranking at the forefront in Shenzhen. Meanwhile, the hospital has made significant progress in building its brand specialties. Currently, it is striving to achieve Grade 3A classification, using the accreditation process to promote development and actively establishing itself as a research-oriented hospital integrating medical care, education, and scientific research.
As the vanguard of public hospital reform in Shenzhen, Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital incorporated the concept of a "smart hospital" into its construction planning from inception, leveraging internet technology to innovate diagnosis and treatment models. Through the hospital’s official WeChat account, citizens can conveniently access end-to-end outpatient and inpatient services, with the current outpatient appointment rate exceeding 90%. Via bedside interactive systems, inpatients can clearly view their daily medication records and itemized bills. Additionally, the hospital was among the first in Shenzhen to enable direct settlement of medical insurance for cross-provincial healthcare services.
Since the launch of the WeDoctor Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform in Hong Kong, medical and healthcare institutions across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao have responded enthusiastically, successively establishing the Zhuhai Base and the Women’s and Children’s Health Base. As the fourth installment in the platform’s rollout series, the Internet Hospital of Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University has joined the WeDoctor Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform as the Shenzhen Base. It is taking the lead in exploring membership-based models for chronic disease management, obstetric care, and health management, aiming to provide residents of the Greater Bay Area with comprehensive “Internet + Healthcare” services covering pre-diagnosis, during-diagnosis, and post-diagnosis stages.
President Liao Sizhao stated that by partnering with WeDoctor to establish an internet hospital, Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital will leverage the Shenzhen base of WeDoctor’s Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform—the first medical collaboration platform in China to support registration for users from Hong Kong and Macao—to expand its service coverage and patient base. Through access points such as a mobile app and telephone hotline, residents of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao will truly benefit from convenient medical services characterized by “90 seconds online and 90 minutes offline.”
On the launch day of the internet hospital initiative, Mr. Peng and Mr. Zeng from Hong Kong, who had not previously undergone comprehensive health check-ups, decided to book medical examinations in mainland China through WeDoctor’s Greater Bay Area platform. This decision was prompted by Mr. Peng’s recent discovery of elevated blood glucose levels and his observation that many friends were experiencing age-related health issues, often described as “aging bodies breaking down like old machines.” “In Hong Kong, a carotid artery ultrasound costs around HKD 1,000, and an echocardiogram costs about HKD 2,000. Including physician fees, these two tests alone are ten times more expensive than in the mainland. Now, I can complete a full health check-up package at this major hospital in Shenzhen for just over RMB 1,000, with low transportation costs as well,” said Mr. Peng, adding that he would recommend these services to more family members and friends.
Zheng Yuling, Chief Operating Officer of WeDoctor Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong), stated that after returning to Hong Kong, residents can access their electronic health checkup reports anytime and anywhere via the WeDoctor app. They can also consult with physicians through the internet hospital regarding any abnormal findings from their checkups. This makes online follow-up visits highly convenient, eliminating the need for cross-border travel and significantly reducing medical costs. Furthermore, the platform plans to establish a toll-free hotline in Hong Kong next year to facilitate Hong Kong residents seeking medical care in mainland China.
It is understood that the WeDoctor Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform has connected 79 hospitals across 21 cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region, along with more than 10,000 doctors, 32 internet-based medical consortia, dozens of specialty collaboration alliances, and 500 pharmacy-clinic outlets.
Hu Dingxu, Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, former Chairman of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, and Chairman of the WeDoctor Greater Bay Area Collaboration Platform, stated that the platform will continue to integrate medical care, pharmaceutical, and health insurance service capabilities across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. It aims to introduce more industry partners from the medical, pharmaceutical, and insurance sectors, accelerate the interconnectivity of healthcare information among the three regions, enhance the efficiency of regional medical collaboration, and enable more residents in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao to conveniently access satisfactory, high-quality healthcare services without leaving the Greater Bay Area.