Wuchuan, a county-level city in Zhanjiang, has invested 2.3 billion yuan ($329.76 million) in the relocation of three county-level public hospitals since 2017, aiming to enhance the capacity of primary-level medical and health services in the city.

With an investment of 1.9 billion yuan, the new People's Hospital of Wuchuan is expected to be finished in June 2022. The new Wuchuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine had a total investment of 300 million yuan and its construction is expected to be completed in May 2022, while the new Wuchuan Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital will be put into operation at the end of 2021, with an investment of 829 million yuan.

The design sketch for the relocation of the Wuchuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]

The People's Hospital of Wuchuan currently covers an area of less than 36 mu (2.4 hectares), with only 1,100 beds and difficulties for finding a place to park, said Wang Qi, director of the hospital.

Wang added that the new People's Hospital of Wuchuan will expand its area by four times to 160 mu, and boast a four-story outpatient building, a rehabilitation building, a medical technology building, a maternity and child healthcare building, as well as a 17-story inpatient building with a total of 2,000 beds.

Independent infectious buildings were planned in the construction of the three hospitals, along with intensive care units (ICUs), negative pressure beds, and relevant inspection equipment, with the aim of improving the city's capacity for epidemic prevention and control.

In addition, Wuchuan is constructing fever clinics at its 17 township health centers and community health service centers, which are expected to be finished by the end of 2022.

The city is also planning to build a stadium with public health emergency functions, which can be quickly converted into a makeshift hospital that can provide 600 beds.

"It is particularly important to strengthen the construction of public medical and health institutions to do well in public health, especially in the prevention and treatment of major epidemic diseases," said Wen Guanshou, deputy director of the health bureau of Zhanjiang.