West China Dental Launches First Out-of-Province Hospital in Chongqing, Backed by RMB 2 Billion Investment Fund Targeting Six Core Dental Industry Segments

Image from West China Hospital, Chongqing

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that West China Stomatology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “West China Stomatology”) has officially opened its first medical project outside Sichuan Province, the West China Stomatology Chongqing Hospital. This marks a significant step in the company’s offline hospital expansion strategy since it was listed last year.

Located at No. 229, Xin’gai Avenue, Yubei District, Chongqing, the hospital covers a total area of nearly 5,000 square meters and is established in accordance with the national standards for Grade II specialized dental hospitals. It currently has more than ten expert professors providing consultations and nearly twenty physicians holding master’s degrees or higher on staff, forming a robust medical team. In the future, it aims to become the first mixed-ownership Grade III Class A hospital in Chongqing and across China.

According to available information, Huaxi Dental was established as a mixed-ownership reform entity jointly initiated by Sichuan University and four other state-owned enterprises. Huaxi Dental Chongqing Hospital is the first key medical institution outside Sichuan Province in which Huaxi Dental holds a controlling stake. Guided by the “Huaxi” brand, it upholds Huaxi’s stomatological care standards, adheres to the service principle of “patient-centered care,” and leads the future of dental technology innovation.

On April 25, 2017, Huaxi Dental was officially unveiled, with plans to establish a nationwide chain of 500 dental healthcare service outlets by 2025.

Huaxi Dental has five major shareholders: Sichuan Provincial Investment Group Co., Ltd., Sichuan University, Sinopharm Holdings Co., Ltd., China Life Chengda (Shanghai) Health Industry Equity Investment Center (Limited Partnership), and Ziyang City Development Zone Investment Co., Ltd. With a registered capital of RMB 1.8 billion, the company is headquartered in Chengdu. The five major shareholders include central state-owned enterprises, provincial state-owned enterprises, municipal and prefectural local state-owned enterprises, as well as research institutes, covering all segments of government, industry, academia, research, and application.

Huaxi Dental focuses on six major business segments: dental industry manufacturing, healthcare services, R&D and achievement incubation, education and training, commercial insurance, and products and commercial services, thereby covering nearly the entire dental “industry chain.”

Huaxi Dental will establish a nationwide network of dental medical chain institutions through “new construction, acquisitions, and franchising,” forming a three-tier dental healthcare service system with flagship hospitals as the leaders, regional central hospitals as hubs, and chain clinics as grassroots outlets. Meanwhile, Huaxi Dental will leverage the educational strengths of Sichuan University, introduce social capital, and collaborate with internationally renowned dental schools to plan and build a “Vocational and Technical College of Stomatology.”

It is reported that a RMB 2 billion dental investment fund is now ready for deployment. Jointly initiated by Sichuan Investment Group Co., Ltd., Huaxi Dental Co., Ltd., Chengdu Advanced Manufacturing Industry Investment Co., Ltd., and Huaxi Dental Capital Management (Ziyang) Co., Ltd., the fund will invest in high-quality medical institutions, the oral health industry, and related entities both domestically and internationally.

Stomatology is one of Sichuan University’s flagship disciplines. Established in 1919 at the College of Dentistry, West China Union University, the program has cultivated countless talents over nearly a century of development and maintains a leading position in China in clinical practice, education, and scientific research. It is reported that West China Stomatology holds more than 3,000 patented technologies, which are urgently awaiting commercialization and technology transfer.

As early as 1907, the dental clinic established by Dr. Lin Ze on Sishengci Street in Chengdu marked the beginning of modern dentistry in China and became an important milestone in the history of the development of Chinese stomatology.

In 1917, Dr. Lindsay established the Department of Dentistry under the Faculty of Medicine at West China Union University and served as its head. This was the first institution in China dedicated to training advanced professionals in modern stomatology. In 1919, the Department of Dentistry evolved into a discipline parallel to medicine and was upgraded to the College of Dentistry. For a considerable period thereafter, the College of Dentistry at West China Union University remained the only dental college in China and the sole institution qualified to provide postgraduate specialty training.

On this occasion, Sichuan University, as the brand investor and shareholder of Huaxi Dental Company, has provided strong support to Huaxi Dental Chongqing Hospital, including in terms of physician resources and construction standards.

West China School of Stomatology Chongqing Hospital offers a comprehensive range of departments, including Dental Implantology, Orthodontics, Prosthodontics, Endodontics, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. It also features a specialized department dedicated to advanced domestic digital technologies, providing patients with all-encompassing, one-stop professional dental care.

As China’s largest municipality, Chongqing has witnessed rapid economic growth in recent years and boasts a vast consumer market. Its proximity to Chengdu facilitates visits by specialists from West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, for on-site consultations.

Currently, the expert professors regularly practicing at West China Stomatology Hospital Chongqing Branch include a group of implantology specialists who completed the theoretical research, engineering manufacturing, and clinical application practices of China’s first dental implant system; as well as doctoral and master’s supervisors specializing in orthodontics, with decades of clinical experience and long-term engagement in frontline medical care, teaching, and scientific research. More than 20 inheritors of the “West China Spirit” have joined West China Stomatology Hospital Chongqing Branch. All attending physicians possess 10–40 years of clinical diagnostic and treatment experience and hold senior professional titles, including Chief Physician, Professor, Master’s Supervisor, and Doctoral Supervisor.