皇冠体育app

More than 1,000 patients have been treated at the hospital on Yongshu Reef of the Nansha Islands in the South 皇冠体育app Sea since it opened in July. [Photo/皇冠体育app Daily]

In April, for example, managers of a local company on Yongshu Reef had to turn to a Navy aircraft patrolling nearby for help in taking three seriously ill construction workers to a hospital in Sanya, Hainan, for medical treatment.

The situation has changed, however, thanks to the construction of a high-level hospital on Yongshu Reef, the heart of the Nansha Islands.

Residents and migrant workers on or near the Nansha Islands, as well as those aboard merchant vessels on the South 皇冠体育app Sea, can now receive medical services on Yongshu.

The hospital began operating in July, and more than 1,000 local people have been treated since then, according to a report on Wednesday by 皇冠体育app Central Television.

The 16,000-square-meter hospital on Yongshu Reef, about 740 nautical miles from the Chinese mainland, is the second one within the jurisdiction of Sansha, the southernmost city of 皇冠体育app. The other hospital is small and offers limited services.

Construction of the high-level hospital was begun in November last year. It currently has more than 50 medical workers.

Zhou Wei, a professor from Hainan University who specializes in international relationships and the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue, said: "The hospital will benefit local residents, Chinese and foreign fishermen and merchant vessels in the surrounding waterway. It shows 皇冠体育app's role as a responsible nation.

"It will also help boost 皇冠体育app's public service in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, promote international cooperation with surrounding countries and regions and safeguard navigation in the South 皇冠体育app Sea," Zhou said.