The Islands Healthcare Complex – Macao Medical Center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (hereinafter referred to as “Macao Medical Center of PUMCH”) officially opened on 16 September 2024, marking the commencement of a new stage of development for Macao’s healthcare sector.

As a public medical institution adhering to the medical and healthcare policy of the Macao SAR Government, the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH upholds the principle of prioritizing public medical services. On the premise of meeting the medical needs of residents, it actively develops international medical services as part of the projects within the big health industry.

As a newly established public hospital, the primary task of the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH in its first phase is to deliver public healthcare services, optimize resource allocation, and do triage effectively so as to reduce the burden on public medical institutions in Macao and provide patients with safe, efficient, and comfortable medical services. By the end of February, the number of specialty outpatient clinics had expanded to 52, and the number of daily appointments for specialty outpatient services had increased by 50% from when it first opened to meet the growing healthcare demand of Macao residents. Since 17 March, the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH has further widened the scope of its specialty outpatient services. Long-term stayers in Macao, including those holding Non-Resident Worker’s Identification Cards, student visas, and Special Stay Permits, can also register for medical treatment.

In response to the demand for large imaging examination services such as Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Macao, the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH has already performed over a fourth of the CT examinations conducted through public services in the city. In addition, to lower the number of external medical services for tumor patients who are frequently referred for treatment outside of Macao, its Radiotherapy Centre has operated two state-of-the-art linear accelerators and completed 277 sessions of radiotherapy for cancer patients. Two CyberKnife systems have been installed and are currently in the testing phase, which are anticipated to be gradually rolled out for use by mid-year.

Since January this year, the general wards have started admitting inpatients and receiving emergency patients from the Conde de São Januário Hospital. From February onwards, the Ambulatory Medical Centre has regularly offered painless gastrointestinal endoscopy. A variety of surgical procedures will be made available in an orderly manner.

At the same time, to address the needs of dialysis patients in Macao and to align with the law on assisted reproduction technology of the Health Bureau, the Hemodialysis Center and the Assisted Reproduction Center will be inaugurated within this year, providing high-quality hemodialysis services and a full range of assisted reproductive options to improve the overall quality of life for residents. So far, the Assisted Reproduction Center has offered clinics for reproductive assessment and admission, and its work for the procurement, installation, and testing of facilities and equipment, alongside staff training, are progressing in an organized manner. Therefore, it is expected to be formally operational by the second half of this year at the earliest.

The Macao Medical Center of PUMCH has summarized the situation of its specialty outpatient services over the past six months and found that there is a great number of elderly patients with chronic diseases in Macao, some of whom have complex conditions. The hospital’s expert team draws on the experience of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), emphasizing the development of specialized medical care, focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of complex critical illnesses and rare diseases, and exploring multidisciplinary team (MDT) diagnosis and treatment. Recently, experts from the hospital and the PUMCH had their first online telemedicine consultation. Bringing together the expertise from both hospitals and combining medical resources, they carried out an MDT consultation for a patient in Macao. Both parties provided comprehensive medical evaluation and judgment, resulting in positive outcomes. In addition, to further enhance the management of heart failure patients, the cardiology department of the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH plans to launch a chronic disease management program for heart failure and prepares to establish a referral system for diagnosis and treatment between community centers and public medical institutions in Macao. Through education, encouragement for patients to use electronic monitoring devices and follow-ups, the hospital is dedicated to improving self-management for heart failure patients, analyzing influencing factors, and making improvement recommendations, thus demonstrating a model for chronic disease management in Macao.

On the other hand, the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH is steadily introducing private medical services at the International Medical Centre and plans to launch the Health Management Center, as well as open international inpatient services within this year. Currently, regular outpatient clinics (including the vaccination clinic and neurology clinic), special appointment clinics, and medical aesthetic clinics (including the aesthetic injection clinic and aesthetic dermatology clinic), as well as services such as daytime inpatient gastrointestinal examinations, are available. Macao residents are entitled to a discount of 10% on consultation and examination fees (excluding medication costs). The Macao Medical Center of PUMCH will fully leverage the brand effect of the PUMCH to vigorously promote the development of medical tourism and the big health industry.

Adopting the patient-centered service philosophy, the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH will strengthen collaboration with the Health Bureau in maintaining communication on matters such as referral processes and the types of specialty outpatient clinic referrals in a bid to continuously improve the level of medical services and boost healthcare development in Macao.

Residents in need may schedule an appointment for specialty outpatient clinics through the official website of the Macao Medical Center of PUMCH (https://www.cmm-pumch.gov.mo/) or the online booking system (https://mobile.cmm-pumch.gov.mo/).