Macao Union Hospital marks two years, given 25% public healthcare target

[Photo: Yuki Lei]

The Macau Medical Centre of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, now two years into formal operation, has been given a clear goal by the government: to handle a quarter of Macau’s public healthcare volume by the end of 2027, with improved patient triage and closer collaboration with other hospitals.

As the Macao Union Hospital marks its second anniversary of formal operation, the local government has set a target for the center to handle 25% of the city’s public healthcare volume by the end of 2027, calling on it to improve patient triage and deepen collaboration with Conde de São Januário Hospital and other medical institutions to form a complementary, differentiated development model.

Speaking on behalf of the government, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, O Lam, noted that the center is an important cooperation project for the practice of ‘One country, two systems’ in the health sector and a major livelihood initiative.

She said that since trial operations began at the end of 2023, the government has assigned the center three core roles: optimizing public healthcare, developing high-end medical services, and nurturing local talent. Over the past two years, she added, the center has moved from its start-up phase into a growth phase, operating smoothly on the whole, gradually sharing the load of public medical services, and helping to raise the region’s overall healthcare standards.

“We hope the center will fully leverage Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s professional, technical, and talent strengths to continuously raise the standard of care for complex and critical illnesses and specialized medical services in Macau,” O said.

“We also hope the center will actively explore the establishment of an ‘overseas medical research center’ to promote better integration of medical, teaching, and research resources and to strengthen talent development.”

She added: “Looking ahead, the special administrative region (SAR) government will, as always, firmly support the center’s development, and hopes it will fully harness Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s professional, technical, and talent advantages to continuously enhance Macau’s capacity for critical care and specialized medical services, strengthen local medical talent training, steadily expand international medical services, promote the development of medical tourism, and empower the health industry to improve in quality and efficiency.”

Following O’s remarks, Peking Union Medical College Hospital president Zhang Shuyang noted that with the successive introduction of high-difficulty procedures such as fourth-generation Da Vinci robotic pancreatic surgery, and the gradual commissioning of Macau’s largest tumor radiotherapy center and intensive care units, the goal of “no need to travel abroad for major illnesses” is steadily becoming a tangible reality for residents. She revealed that the center now has 916 staff, and its first cohort of 28 young Macau doctors has officially begun systematic specialist training, with plans to strengthen succession planning and facilitate joint training between the two places.

She acknowledged, however, that the center remains at a critical stage of development, asking Macau residents for understanding and patience, and urging the government and the Health Bureau to provide strong support in policy guarantees, resource allocation, data sharing, and open cooperation, so as to jointly streamline the healthcare system under “one country, two systems.”

Honorary president of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Zhao Yupei, noted that the occasion coincided with the 105th anniversary of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, describing the center’s journey from top-level design to blueprint implementation as a vivid embodiment of the strategic plan to build a “Healthy China” by 2035.

Zhao recalled leading a surgical team to Macau in April to complete the city’s first fourth-generation Da Vinci robotic urological surgery, during which teams from both places demonstrated professionalism and a spirit of collaboration throughout, from pre-operative discussion and intra-operative coordination to post-operative monitoring. Expressing confidence that the center would carry forward the “Peking Union spirit” of rigour, refinement, diligence, and dedication, the representative said it would leverage Macau’s unique advantage of being backed by the motherland while connected to the world, rooted in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area and reaching out to Southeast Asia.