The ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for the International Hospital of Hiking Group was held on Aug 22 in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, ccstock.cn reported.

The ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for the International Hospital of Hiking Group is held on Aug 22 in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/ccstock.cn]

The hospital is listed as one of the key projects in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) of the Qingdao government. It will provide health care for the local community, and is designed to offer specialized and general medical care, with capacity for 1,000 beds during the first phase, expanding to 3,000 later in the project.

The Severance Hospital of Yonsei University signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in October 2014 regarding the construction of the hospital with Hiking Group, a large scale business conglomerate headquartered in Qingdao.

According to the MOA, Hiking Group will organize the construction of the hospital as well as raise funds to run the hospital, while the Severance Hospital provides the medical technology, equipment, and training program for health care staff.

The Severance Hospital, affiliated with the College of Medicine at Yonsei University, is one of the oldest and largest university hospitals in South Korea.

The Qingdao government has been striving to promote the development of a local health care industry, including facilities for recuperation and rehabilitation, general health care, elderly-care services and health management in recent years.