Urology Services in China: A Brief Market Profile

Urology is a rather developed specialization in China

with many universities and hospitals’ undertaking
extensive research in this field. The level of
technological advancement is also increasing with
more hospitals now able to do robotic surgery.
There are an estimated number of at least 2000
urologists in China, and almost all of them are trained
in China. Most of the larger public hospitals in China
have a urology department with at least one practicing
urologist. 69 of them are highly recommended by the
Chinese urological association and are AAA rated.

The urology specialization is well developed, and Indicator 2007 data

hospitals which specialize in urology usually have at
Estimated # urology specialists 2,000
least 5 urologists and 40 beds in the urology
department. The private healthcare sector is very Estimated # of urology specialists in 10
small, and most private facilities do not have a full private practice
time urologist and are unable to perform any Estimated number of private urology ~50
urological surgery. The urologists at the private clinics
clinics are also usually locally trained, because
Average # of urology patients seen ~150
private clinics/hospitals usually hire the more
daily by top clinics
prominent urologists at local public hospitals when
the need arises.

The main urological conditions suffered in China are that of stones in the urinary tract and prostate cancer. Deaths
from urological diseases are 1.6 per 1000 in urban areas and 1.3 per 1000 in rural areas. With the evolving
demographic shift to increasing number of elderly, and changes in diet, increased stress and sedentary lifestyle which
is a consequence of economic development and rapid urbanization, the demand for urology services is clearly set to
rise in the near future.

Most patients prefer to be treated locally, but there is a preference for private healthcare among the affluent. The
public healthcare system being overcrowded and having complicated queue systems has resulted in the affluent
turning to private hospitals for treatment.

Confidential
1

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Shanghai and Beijing have been the focal point for private healthcare investment in China. Many affluent Chinese
and a large majority of expatriates reside in this area and the ailing public healthcare system has led to the affluent
looking for other alternatives. There are an increasing number of international private clinics/hospitals entering the
Chinese market especially in these two tier 1 cities, however these clinics usually are unable to perform urology
surgery and do not have a full time urologist. Even the larger and more popular facilities such as the Shanghai
Gleneagles employ part-time urologists from the local hospitals for 2-3 days a week. Beijing has approximately 16
large private hospitals and clinics while Shanghai has approximately 10. Guangzhou should be the next area of
concentration for private medical facilities and already has 6 large private clinics/hospitals being established,
comparatively most other cities usually only have 1-2 large private clinics/hospitals.

There are approximately 50 private hospitals/clinics and 50,000 public hospitals which specialize in urology. Among
these, the 10 most reputed ones are:

Name of Clinic\Hospital Location

Beijing Chao-yang Hospital Beijing

Institute of urology, Peking University Beijing
st
Guangzhou 1 People’s Hospital Guandong
Clifford Hospital Guandong
West China Hospital Sichuan
Huashan Worldwide Medical Centre Shanghai
Shanghai Changzheng Hospital Shanghai
st
The 1 Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai
nd
The 2 Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin Medical University Tianjin
Zhejiang University 1st affiliated Hospital Zhejiang

The largest and most renowned of these facilities are:

 The 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin Medical University has one of the larger urology departments and has
a high rate of patronage by patients. In addition, they have two of the best doctors in Tianjin, and have
one of the most well equipped departments in China.
 Huashan Worldwide Medical Centre is one of the few private hospitals which specialize in urology
surgery. Their urology specialists are among the leading specialists in the country, and in they have been
one of the most popular private clinics for urology surgery.
 Shanghai Changzheng Hospital has been voted on Baidu.com by patients and doctors to have the
second best urology department in China. They have a well equipped department headed by Dr Xu
Danfeng one of the most prominent urologists in China who has written over 20 books on urology.

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