Hongqiao Central Business District is ushering in great development opportunities brought by the big health industry, the fourth major industry to be greatly developed in addition to big conventions and exhibitions, big traffic, and big commerce.

The medical service industry cluster led by Shanghai New Hongqiao International Medical Center in southern Hongqiao and the medical instrument research and development (R&D) and industrialization base headed by Shanghai Kindly Medical Instruments Co Ltd and Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co Ltd in northern Hongqiao are booming.

Located in Huacao town, Minhang district in southern Hongqiao, Shanghai New Hongqiao International Medical Center is being constructed rapidly, several buildings having been structurally completed already.

According to Yang Jie, chairman of Shanghai New Hongqiao International Medical Center Construction and Development Co Ltd, the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission formulated a development plan for the international medical center. With a mode of "1+2+10+X", the plan included a medical technology sharing service platform ("1"), two international comprehensive hospitals ("2"), 10 high-end specialized hospitals ("10"), as well as some general or specialist clinics ("X").

The medical center has a planning area of 100 hectares, 42 ha for the first phase and 58 ha for the second. Five specialized hospitals are expected to be completed by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).

In Jiangqiao town, Jiading district in northern Hongqiao, a medical instrument R&D and industrialization base, headed by Shanghai Kindly Medical Instruments and Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare, is rising, becoming the other wing of Hongqiao to vigorously develop a big health industry.

Shanghai Kindly Medical Instruments is engaged in the R&D and manufacturing of medical instruments in the fields of intervention and implants. Wang Cailiang, the company's chief executive officer, said it was building a platform for incubation and transformation, nearly 10 enterprises having already become involved. The long-term goal of the platform is to foster two or three listed companies, making Shanghai Kindly into a world-renowned group engaged in intervention and implant medical instruments, and driven by scientific and technological innovation.