Gu Hongyan (middle), a doctor at Nantong No 6 People's Hospital, checks a patient's leg at the Community Health Center of Xingfu Street in Gangzha district, March 18. [Photo/official WeChat account of Gangzha district government]

"At first I could not switch off, but the doctors and nurses from Nantong No 6 People's Hospital have really helped me to relax and it's easy for my children to see me," said one 89-year-old man at the Community Health Center of Xingfu Street in Gangzha district, Nantong.

The patient is a beneficiary of a regional medical consortium jointly established by Nantong No 6 People's Hospital and the community health center earlier this year to tackle the lack of ward beds in hospitals, as well as to make it easier for family members caring for senior relatives. 

According to Pan Xia, director of the community health center, staffing numbers have not increased in recent years, despite an aging population. While medical equipment has improved, the current system means large numbers of people often visit the bigger hospitals, leaving smaller hospitals and clinic under resourced. 

But the regional medical consortium has worked to change the situation. 

The center has received 89 senior patients, including 43 transferred from Nantong No 6 People's Hospital over the past two months.

"Our hospital has a dedicated area and ambulances for patients to transfer between the health center and the hospital. Patient information from the community health center is shared in a timely manner with the doctors in the hospital," said Jin Yanfei, director of Nantong No 6 People's Hospital.

The integrated geriatric wards in the center have a complete range of medicines and are affordable, he added.

Currently, the integrated geriatric wards in the center offer continuous treatment, rehabilitation, and nursing services to senior patients with stable chronic diseases, geriatric diseases and advanced cancers.

In addition to long-term professional care from medical teams led by doctors from Nantong No 6 People's Hospital, a homelike environment has been created in the center's geriatric wards which are equipped with individual restrooms, fridges, and microwave ovens, earning praise from patients and family members. 

In the future, it is expected that more public hospitals will join medical consortiums with community hospitals, health centers and clinics, giving senior citizens the very best medical care and offering peace of mind to their families.