From November 3 to 7, 2025, the New Development Bank (NDB) organised a specialised study tour on public hospital management for officials from the South African Health Department and the Limpopo Provincial Health Department in Shanghai and Fujian Province of China. The visit showcased China’s cutting-edge medical technologies, smart hospital construction, and advancements in enhancing patient treatment experiences. The event also provided a platform for sharing management experiences, reflecting the New Development Bank’s commitment to facilitating knowledge exchange and industry experience sharing among member countries, thereby deepening cooperation in important social development sectors.
The delegation visited the International Medical Center of Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University to understand developments in advanced medical technologies and patient-centered service systems. They experienced the smart hospital laboratory at Zhongshan Hospital, also affiliated with Fudan University, where intelligent technology supports ward management systems to improve bed turnover efficiency and enhance patient experiences. The delegation also engaged in discussions on the prospects for implementing smart hospital technologies in South African hospitals.
Furthermore, the delegation visited Union Hospital affiliated with Fujian Medical University, exploring academic exchange and training prospects in hematology and organ transplantation. They had hands-on training experiences in the minimally invasive surgery training laboratory, with the emphasis on capacitating the Limpopo Academic Hospital currently in construction when moving into operational stage.
At Binhai Hospital, also affiliated with Fujian Medical University, nuclear medicine experts elaborated on advancements in molecular imaging and targeted therapy technologies. The hospital demonstrated efficient logistic systems, and the provincial health commission leaders also shared successful examples of China-Africa medical collaboration that they are currently having in countries like Senegal and Botswana, and look to explore collaboration with Department of Health National and Provincial Department’s of Health especially Limpopo.
Mutheiwana Dombo, Deputy Director of Health Services at the Limpopo Provincial Health Department, expressed deep admiration for the achievements of Chinese public hospitals in medical technology fields like neurosurgery, hematology, and organ transplantation. The management models of these hospitals in China consistently focus on enhancing patient experience and use advanced technologies like artificial intelligence to assist doctors in processing radiographic images, reducing waiting times. She noted that smart technologies, such as robotic cleaning and meal delivery services, significantly save human resources, allowing them to focus on core hospital services. She also emphasized that the close cooperation between Chinese medical universities and hospitals, which not only provides high-quality healthcare services but also enriches the medical expert resources available for patient care, is a model worth learning from for South Africa.
Solani Khosa, Director of Health and Infrastructure at the South African Department of Health, stated that the National Health Department provides better infrastructure platforms to ensure healthcare service supply all levels of care starting from primary health care to tertiary and academic level. In China, public hospital projects can be planned, built, and commissioned within three years, with technologies like artificial intelligence integrated into project development. This inspired and encouraged them, and his team plans to accelerate the construction of public hospital projects in South Africa by learning from China’s construction experience, especially the planning phase as this is currently a challenge with long lead time before construction stage.
The South African Health Department delegation also engaged in discussions with the New Development Bank project team to explore strengthening public health cooperation. They examined how the bank can continue to assist member countries in professional training and academic collaboration in public health through capacity-building initiatives, aiming to enhance the level of social development infrastructure and management among the member countries.