A hospital providing Hong Kong-style medical services has opened in Huangpu district of Guangzhou, furthering collaboration on healthcare between Guangdong province and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The Hong Kong-Macao Residents Healthcare Service Center will provide high-level Hong Kong-style diagnosis and treatment services to Guangzhou locals and the growing number of Hong Kong and Macao residents in Guangdong.

In Hong Kong and Macao, general practitioners often consult patients in clinics, whereas on the mainland these consultations take place in a hospital.

It is the first Hong Kong-Macao Residents Healthcare Service Center that has opened on the Chinese mainland. Located inside the Guangzhou Development District Hospital, the center is jointly managed and operated by GDD Hospital and UMP China, a medical services provider in Hong Kong.

Senior medical experts and doctors from Hong Kong and the mainland consult patients in Hong Kong-style consulting rooms in the center.

Felix Lee, founding partner, president and chief executive officer of UMP China, said that based on a model involving general practitioners and specialists, the center will provide collaborative diagnoses and treatment. Doctors from Guangdong and Hong Kong will provide consultation in-person at the center and online services will be provided via UMP's internet hospital.

"The center will help promote the improvement of medical services for local residents and local health management capabilities," he said.

Sun Yunwei, Party secretary of the GDD Hospital, said the collaboration with UMP China is based on the principle of "long-term cooperation, mutual promotion, complementary advantages and common development".

"The center will provide high-quality medical services for patients from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and the rest of the world to meet the growing demand for quality medical services," Sun said.

Liu Shi, deputy director of the administrative committee of GDD, said Huangpu district plans to nurture 100 general practitioners and 150 community nurses, and build between 15 and 20 standardized Hong Kong-style family medical clinics in grassroots medical and healthcare institutions in three years.

UMP China is also mulling the introduction of international payment systems and international insurance to help achieve cross-border two-way referrals. The medical services provider has been expanding cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong in recent years.

A Hong Kong resident living on the mainland surnamed Wong praised the center for its quality medical services after receiving diagnosis and treatment from Ken Chen, chief medical officer of UMP China, in the center on its opening day.

The 72-year-old, who is now living in Guangzhou and has diabetes, spoke with Chen in Cantonese during the consultation.

"The number of Hong Kong and Macao residents who want to seek medical services on the mainland is growing, and the opening of the center offers great convenience and high-quality Hong Kong-style medical services to people from the two SARs," he said.

Huangpu district in Guangzhou is home to hundreds of companies and factories funded by Hong Kong and Macao investors.