A hospital ship delivers healthcare services to residents of small islands in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat ID: jkzs0580]

A medical team from Zhoushan Dinghai Central Hospital took a vessel equipped with advanced medical equipment to Panzhi Island to provide healthcare services to the island's residents, according to Tide News on Oct 21.

Zhoushan consists of 2,085 islands, over 100 of which are inhabited. As the population increasingly concentrates in central urban areas, the aging population on outlying islands grows, exacerbating the demand for healthcare services.

In response, the city has launched a mobile medical campaign, integrating resources at all levels. Forty-four mobile medical teams traverse the islands, delivering free consultations, medication, and standardized health checks directly to residents.

To date, Zhoushan has conducted over 2,310 mobile medical service visits, involving more than 4,650 medical personnel. These services have reached over 100 remote islands, villages, and communities, offering medical consultations and examinations to more than 61,600 people and saving local patients approximately 335,800 yuan ($47,115) in medical expenses.

Conducting mobile medical services requires an understanding of each island's healthcare needs to tailor services accordingly, according to the municipal health commission of Zhoushan.

The city has established 165 mobile medical service points, including 61 fixed points situated on small inhabited islands and fishing villages that lack medical institutions, and 104 mobile points.

More and more provincial medical experts are joining this effort.