As the world's manufacturer is moving up the value chain, China, is focusing their current five-year economic plan on a critical service industry: healthcare. The goal of realizing a "Healthy China" will need inbound investment and international cooperation to develop a truly modern healthcare industry.


Making bold moves into the private sector, China's Tahoe Group purchased a majority stake in US-based Alliance HealthCare Services last year. This granted them access to 30 years of experience in high-quality clinical care.


They have since opened a huge healthcare center in Fuzhou, southern China providing advanced services from Alliance, and built or purchased general hospitals in the major cities of Beijing and Shanghai.


Huang Qisen, Chairman of Tahoe Group


"Tahoe will invest 10 billion yuan every year to the health and medical industry for five consecutive years. And we plan to make a total investment of 80 billion yuan to 100 billion yuan to this cause."


Tumor screening, radiology and chemotherapy are all a flagship services. The equipment and facilities were part of the group's purchase of a majority stake in US-based Alliance HealthCare Services for 102 million US dollars last year, a key strategic move for the group.enter.


For training the physicians and nurses of tomorrow, Tahoe Group is currently cooperating with Tsinghua Medical Collage (Beijing), Tongji Medical College (Shanghai), Weill Cornell Medical College (New York) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.


The operational framework of Tahoe Group's medical services has become an insight into the future of China's healthcare industry and how public services can work hand-in-hand with private investment and enterprises.


The growth of China's healthcare is expected to be driven mainly by the country's ageing population, a rise in lifestyle-related diseases, and to reach a value of 1 trillion US dollars by 2020.