“Having to travel over 100 kilometers to Nantong city for serious illnesses” was once the embarrassing reality of medical services in Tongzhou Bay.
Recently, with the opening of the Nantong No. 1 People's Hospital Tongzhou Bay branch, there have been new changes in how local people access medical care: relying on the high-quality medical and management resources of a large, Class-A municipal hospital, local residents and company employees can now see specialist doctors right in their neighborhood, significantly improving the quality of medical resources in the greater Tongzhou Bay area.
The implementation of a cooperative construction model with large hospitals is another beneficial attempt by the demonstration zone to optimize medical resources and empower high-quality economic and social development. In recent years, the demonstration zone has innovated its concepts and approaches, exploring a distinctive medical service chain of "vertical and horizontal coordination, tiered diagnosis and treatment, and win-win cooperation," effectively improving the level of high-quality medical resources radiating to the grassroots level and promoting high-quality development of regional medical and health services.
Cooperative Construction: Introducing High-Quality Resources
"Director Su, this is my examination report, it shows that my blood sugar is high, could you take a look?" On the opening day of the Tongzhou Bay branch of the No. 1 Municipal Hospital, 20 experts from the Nantong No. 1 People's Hospital formed an "all-star lineup" to provide free consultations to patients. Lao Feng, a villager from Zhabeicun Village, Sanyu Town in the demonstration zone, approached Associate Chief Physician Su Jianbin with his report. "Before, for minor illnesses, I had to go to Tongzhou Bay Sanyu People's Hospital, 12 kilometers away. For serious illnesses, I had to go to the city hospital, over 100 kilometers away. Now I can see specialists from a municipal Class-A hospital right here, it's wonderful! "
Like Lao Feng, Wu Yabing, an employee of Zhongtian Steel, has seen his long-held desire for high-quality medical services become a reality. "When I first came here, I found that the surrounding hospitals were quite far away. Now that the Tongzhou Bay branch of the No. 1 Municipal Hospital has opened, it's much more convenient for us employees of nearby companies! "
The demonstration zone is Nantong's urban sub-center, and also the main battlefield and base for Nantong's strategy of becoming a strong maritime city. However, an important piece of basic infrastructure—high-quality medical resources—has been lacking. Having a large hospital nearby has become a simple wish and a real need for the local people.
In October 2021, the demonstration zone and the No. 1 Municipal Hospital signed an agreement to jointly build the Tongzhou Bay People's Hospital. With an initial investment of 500 million yuan, it is positioned as a tertiary comprehensive hospital, aiming to create a modern medical service center integrating medical care, teaching, research, prevention, rehabilitation, nursing, and health management. From the center of Nantong to the coast of the Yellow Sea, spanning over 100 kilometers, the two parties have embarked on a journey of mutual achievement and a win-win future.
With a total construction area of over 48,000 square meters in the first phase, an initial opening of 100 beds, and a full range of departments...the Tongzhou Bay branch of the No. 1 Municipal Hospital has opened after intense construction. How many resources can a large municipal Class-A hospital bring? How long will the experts stay? These have become the biggest concerns of the surrounding residents.
"We adopt a 'comprehensive cooperation and entrusted management' model, implementing homogeneous management with the headquarters of the Nantong No. 1 People's Hospital." According to Shen Junhua, director of the Tongzhou Bay branch of the No. 1 Municipal Hospital, the first batch of 20 experts from departments such as cardiology, respiratory medicine, gastroenterology, endocrinology, neurology, and general surgery have been deployed, fully responsible for outpatient services, ward rounds, surgeries, consultations, and case discussions.
The data speaks volumes. Since the opening of the Tongzhou Bay branch of the No. 1 Municipal Hospital, the daily number of patients has exceeded 400, greatly meeting the medical needs of local residents.
"In the future, the Tongzhou Bay branch will also plan to build 1,000 beds to maximize the medical needs of residents and employees in Tongzhou Bay." said Shen Junhua.
Optimized Deployment: Establishing a Service System
"My daughter is prone to allergic coughs, and I used to be very nervous every time the seasons changed. Now that there are famous doctors nearby, I'm not afraid anymore." Huang Yan, a villager from Yuxin Village, Sanyu Town, feels relieved now that Zhang Weiyan, a pediatrician from the No. 1 Municipal Hospital, has started seeing patients at Tongzhou Bay Sanyu People's Hospital. This is the benefit of Tongzhou Bay's continuous exploration of close-knit medical consortia.
In 2018, the demonstration zone and the No. 1 Municipal Hospital signed an agreement to build a close-knit medical consortium, starting this extraordinary journey. In the past 5 years, from fixed-point cooperation to the construction of a close-knit medical consortium to the full management of the branch, high-quality resources have continued to sink, realizing real-time and accurate diagnosis and treatment by experts, two-way interaction of medical processes, and seamless connection.
Relying on the construction of a close-knit medical consortium, the "blood-making" function of local hospitals has gradually improved. Chen Jin, deputy director of the office of Sanyu People's Hospital, introduced that currently, the No. 1 Municipal Hospital has dispatched experts from multiple departments in 11 batches, providing comprehensive support through outpatient consultations, teaching ward rounds, and guidance on the implementation of technical projects. Sanyu People's Hospital has completed the establishment of 4 grassroots characteristic departments: general surgery, neurology, gastroenterology, etc. At the same time, taking advantage of the opportunity of expert deployment, the hospital has also organized more than 110 medical personnel to receive training at the No. 1 Municipal Hospital, promoting the rapid growth of local medical personnel.
The construction of a close-knit medical consortium not only allows people to see specialists from Class-A hospitals in their neighborhood, but also makes it more convenient for the treatment of difficult diseases requiring hospitalization and surgery. 69-year-old Ms. Ge, who lives in Haiyan Village, Sanyu Town, Tongzhou Bay, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at Sanyu People's Hospital. Through the two-way referral green channel between the No. 1 Municipal Hospital and Sanyu People's Hospital, she underwent surgery at the No. 1 Municipal Hospital and received post-operative rehabilitation at Sanyu People's Hospital. "It saved a lot of medical expenses and truly reduced the burden on us patients." she said.
The continuous sinking of high-quality medical resources has effectively revitalized medical resources within the Tongzhou Bay area and given a new look to grassroots medical institutions. Yang Jinjun, secretary of the Party committee of the demonstration zone's social management bureau, introduced that so far, 4 medical institutions in Tongzhou Bay have successfully established provincial and municipal elderly-friendly hospitals, Tongzhou Bay Sanyu People's Hospital has been rated as an "excellent unit in the construction of elderly-friendly hospitals," and 4 village clinics have passed the provincial and municipal demonstration village clinic acceptance.
A series of combined efforts have significantly increased the supply of high-quality medical resources in Tongzhou Bay, benefiting thousands of households. Data shows that currently, the average life expectancy in Tongzhou Bay has reached 83.13 years, infant and maternal mortality rates have dropped to 0, and the premature mortality rate among the 30-70 age group due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes has dropped to 9.49%, reaching the target value for healthy Nantong construction in 2025 ahead of schedule.
Empowering Development: Branding Health Services
For Tongzhou Bay, which combines multiple national strategies, medical care involves thousands of households, and is both a basic livelihood and a development project.
Currently, Tongzhou Bay is at the forefront of a new round of development opportunities. The China Petroleum Blue Sea New Materials project is progressing rapidly, and major projects such as Huaneng and Fulite are accelerating construction. A number of high-quality central enterprises and listed companies, such as China Railway Heavy Construction and Qinshi Jiamei, are investing in projects. The layout of high-quality medical resources is also of great significance for enhancing regional radiation capacity and promoting the development of Tongzhou Bay's industries.
At the opening ceremony of the Tongzhouwan District of the First People's Hospital of the city, the First People's Hospital of the city and the Tongzhouwan District signed medical service strategic cooperation agreements with 10 key enterprises, including PetroChina Lanhai New Materials, Huaneng Yanhai, China Coal Yanhai, and Folai Te. "We will carry out in-depth cooperation in health checkups, major disease intervention, and occupational disease prevention, providing the most comprehensive and high-quality health services to employees and their families, thereby attracting talent to settle here." Zhu Decheng, the relevant person in charge of the PetroChina Lanhai New Materials project preparation group, revealed.
Providing high-quality health services to enterprises, industrial workers, and young talents, Tongzhouwan is taking the lead in creating the "Lanwan Famous Doctors Lecture Hall" brand, helping to continuously and effectively improve the service level of the demonstration zone. "Last year, the expert team from the First People's Hospital of the city came to our company to popularize health management knowledge and hold free clinics for employees. These special and exclusive medical services warmed our hearts." Zhu Jianguang, the person in charge of Tongdian Culture, praised the "Lanwan Famous Doctors Lecture Hall" visiting enterprises.
In the view of Lu Hongjian, secretary of the Party Committee of the First People's Hospital of Nantong City, the cooperation path of "vertical management, integrated operation, and homogeneous medical care" will help the Tongzhouwan District of the First People's Hospital of the city to become the preferred tertiary comprehensive hospital and regional medical service center for residents in the Greater Tongzhouwan area and the leading one in the coastal area of Nantong, providing multi-level and diversified high-quality medical and health services to match the development of the Greater Tongzhouwan area and its residents.
Lu Zhonghua, secretary of the Party Working Committee of the demonstration zone, said that Tongzhouwan will always work hand in hand with the First People's Hospital of the city, providing full support and strengthening guarantees in terms of capital investment, policy support, and talent introduction, jointly building the Tongzhouwan District of the First People's Hospital of the city into a new highland of health and health services radiating the coastal area of Nantong and benefiting the entire city, and promoting a significant improvement in the regional medical and health service capacity.
Comments: Improving the Radiation Capacity of High-Quality Medical Care
The expansion and sinking of high-quality medical resources is an important strategy to promote the development of key urban areas. Optimizing the allocation of medical resources can not only improve the medical service level of local residents but also promote the balanced development of the regional economy and overall social progress. Improving the regional radiation capacity of high-quality medical care is a systematic project that requires the joint efforts of the government, medical institutions, and all sectors of society.
Scientific planning and incentive mechanisms are needed. The government should introduce corresponding support policies, plan to establish an effective medical service system, and provide necessary support for medical institutions and medical personnel. For example, through financial subsidies, tax incentives, and other measures, encourage medical institutions to improve service quality and efficiency.
It is necessary to improve the construction of the medical service network. It is necessary to build a sound medical service network, including establishing an efficient medical consortium, strengthening the construction of primary medical and health institutions, improving their service capabilities and efficiency, promoting the standardization and standardization of medical services, and achieving resource sharing and complementary advantages.
It is necessary to increase the cultivation and introduction of medical talents. We should strengthen medical education and professional training to improve the professional skills and service level of medical personnel. At the same time, attract and retain excellent medical talents through preferential policies to provide human support for regional medical development and benefit more patients.
