Online healthcare sector set for big takeoff

China's online healthcare sector is set to boom in the next few years, and a doctor with good reputation will be able to provide quality healthcare if he or she heads an online professional team consisting of junior doctors, nurses and other staff members, industry sources said.

Wu Xiaobo, a famous business columnist, said Chinese authorities are supportive to the healthy development of online healthcare, and have issued encouraging policies and frame-setting regulations. He predicted that a fast increasing number of Chinese will get accustomed to having online healthcare service in the next few years, due to the bulging middle-income group population, and their want for quality healthcare service.

Chen Qiulin, deputy director of health industry development research center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's recent institutional innovation has injected new developing force to the online healthcare sector. The government encourages the development of online healthcare, but also has set clear boundaries of online healthcare service, and the duties and responsibilities of online platforms, which is good for the industry to develop positively.

Wang Hang, CEO of Haodf.com, one of the largest online healthcare companies in China, said many doctors have established online service team on Haodf's platform, as more and more of the patients go online to seek follow-up consultation and treatment, and the doctors need professionals such as nutritionists and nurses to better serve large amount of patients.

The number of doctors on the platform who have served more than 5,000 patients exceeded 1,900, and more than 600 doctors serve more than 10,000 patients each, he said.