Beijing establishes medical conglomerates

By the end of September, 28 medical conglomerates had been established in Beijing, providing service to residents in all 16 districts and counties of the city, according to the Beijing Commission of Health and Family Planning.

The conglomerates consist of 265 medical institutions, including 28 large comprehensive hospitals, the commission said. Each large hospital plays the leading role in its conglomerate.

According to a guideline released by the commission last year, the municipal government will encourage alliances of major hospitals with smaller facilities and clinics for more effective use of medical resources.

"Many patients who suffer minor ailments such as fever also go to large hospitals, which causes excessive crowding at these hospitals, but such problems can be treated equally well at clinics. This has caused a waste of limited medical resources," Han Xiaofang, director of the Beijing Medical Reform Office, said at a news briefing.

"Through establishing more conglomerates, we hope large hospitals will focus only on patients with complicated diseases so experts in these hospitals have more time for research, while smaller hospitals and clinics can take a larger role in caring for patients with common ailments," she said.