A founding ceremony for the Yangquan People's Hospital Medical Group -- which aims to boost the levels of primary medical care in Yangquan city in North China's Shanxi province -- took place on Aug 11.

The group is a medical alliance that will be based in Yangquan First People's Hospital. Members consist of  eight community health service centers and seven municipal medical institutions and hospitals, including Yangquan First People's Hospital, Yangquan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and Yangquan Cancer Prevention and Treatment Institute. 

All members of the alliance will retain their individual unit classifications, staffing, government input, responsibilities and policies. 

Officials said the alliance will conduct job performance appraisals and personnel exchanges to mobilize the enthusiasm of medical staff and alliance members. 

Those in the group will also be able to get support from counterparts -- as well as technical assistance and medical services -- to give full play to the resources of each member.

The medical group will improve medical services in primary medical institutions, by sharing information and data and adopting the same standards based on information technology platforms.

In addition, it will gradually implement unified drug procurements, recruitment, performance appraisals, quality control and information supervision. 

Officials said it will gradually establish eight management centers in areas such as human resources, medical insurance and procurement and the supply of medical equipment.

It will establish nine business centers involving such areas as logistics, nursing and telemedicine and five treatment centers for traumas, chest pain, strokes, high-risk maternal care and critical neonatal care.