China has opened its first aircraft-based hospital, approving a modified passenger jet to provide eye and ear, nose and throat care to patients in remote regions.

On Jan. 29, state media reported that Shanghai authorities authorized the operation of the “Five Senses Health Aircraft Hospital,” developed by the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University. The aircraft will provide ophthalmic and ENT consults, exams, and surgeries.

The announcement comes as China increases investment in its vast healthcare system and seeks to improve access nationwide. In 2015, there were just 1.38 general practitioners per 1,000 population; that number rose to 2.61 in 2019. And although 95% of residents have health insurance, access to care in remote areas remains uneven.

The aircraft-based hospital, designed to help close those gaps,  is outfitted with an operating room that meets the country’s highest standards of cleanliness and airflow purification. 

The team operating the airborne clinic conducted multiple test runs before receiving official approval from municipal health authorities. During its first test flight on Sept. 5, the aircraft flew to Shihezi, a farming and herding hub in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Over the following two days, the team diagnosed patients and provided non-surgical treatment, ranging from elderly women with retinal changes caused by severe myopia to vision correction for young adults. The team also trained 16 local doctors.

Since then, the airborne hospital has expanded from basic diagnosis and treatment to performing surgical procedures. It has completed several charitable operations, treating patients from multiple locations, including Ili in Xinjiang and southwestern Guizhou province. 

Zhou Xingtao, president of the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, told domestic media he hopes the aircraft hospital will serve more regions in need in the future, allowing a greater number of people to benefit.

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: A patient with the medical crew on the “Five Senses Health Aircraft Hospital.” From @央视新闻 on Weibo)