China’s medical authority said on Wednesday that 158 Internet hospitals had been built, to address congestion in large urban hospitals amid digital tide.

Mao Qun’an, a director of the National Health Commission, said at the second Digital China Summit that 19 provinces, or over half of China’s provincial-level regions, had established provincial tele-medicine platforms.

The central government has also earmarked 99 million U.S. dollars in special funds to add tele-medical and other equipment in primary-level health institutions in impoverished counties.

The commission is now working to realise online services in second and tertiary hospitals, he said.

China’s has a three-tier hospital grading system with the tertiary being the highest.

Internet hospitals refer to those offering medical services, such as consultation and diagnosis, online.

In particular, they are expected to help tackle the scarcity of medical equipment and practitioners in some parts of China.

The three-day Digital China Summit, which concluded on May 1, highlights the latest information technologies that have swept through the country’s government, industries and society.(NAN)