Macao Union Hospital accounts for 11% of public medical services

The Macao Union Medical Center has handled approximately 11% of the territory’s public specialist outpatient and imaging services in the first five months of 2026, according to Health Bureau (SSM) director Alvis Lo.

The figure marks a significant increase from the same period last year, as the center continues to scale up operations under growing collaboration with the public hospital system.

Responding to a written inquiry from lawmaker Lei Leong Wong on staffing, training, and patient discharge mechanisms, he noted that the Conde S. Januário Hospital and the Macao Union Medical Center have set up joint task forces to streamline clinical service delivery.

The partnership involves cross-deployment of medical staff, shared use of diagnostic equipment, and coordinated allocation of clinical spaces – measures that have already helped shorten waiting times, he added.

Between January and May this year, the medical center provided about 24,000 specialist outpatient consultations and 18,000 imaging examinations for public patients.

Together, these represent 11% of the total public medical service volume in those categories and a two-fold increase over the 13,000 public-service visits recorded in the same period last year.

On the technology front, the center has introduced the Da Vinci robotic surgical system and has sent in a team of academicians from Peking Union Medical College Hospital to perform complex pancreatic surgeries. It has also deployed the Mako robotic-arm-assisted system for knee replacement procedures, aiming to enhance precision and patient safety.

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was launched late last month, with ambulance-received emergency services to follow gradually. The center is also pushing forward with the development of its assisted reproduction, oncology, and hemodialysis units.

To build local expertise, the center has drawn on the technical resources of Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, establishing an expert pool and inviting senior specialists to Macau for clinical mentoring and support in managing rare and severe cases. A medical simulation teaching center has been set up to strengthen the training framework, and staff are being sent to Beijing for advanced fellowships.

On post-discharge care, the SSM is assisting the medical center in referring eligible patients to appropriate rehabilitation facilities through the existing two-hospital collaboration framework.

Lei reiterated that the institution will continue to pursue its three core missions: relieving the public hospital burden, developing a high-end medical services market, and nurturing local medical professionals.