A “Hong Kong-style” private hospital - the first-ever port hospital offering Cantonese-speaking services opened in Shenzhen on Wednesday, with hopes of being included in the Health Care Voucher program to facilitate access for northbound patients.

Located next to Luohu Port, the comprehensive hospital provides a range of services, including dental care and magnetic resonance imaging, while featuring seven specialist departments such as ophthalmology and gynecology.

The hospital will be operated by Hong Kong’s C-MER Eye Care Group. Signage inside the hospital will be displayed in traditional Chinese, and all staff will be proficient in Cantonese.

The group's founder, Dennis Lam Shun-chiu, noted that while the hospital aims to attract northbound patients, its services are not yet incorporated into the Health Care Voucher program.

He explained that the hospital needs to convince the relevant professionals that its management qualifies for inclusion in the program as a new medical facility, also expressing hope that the hospital would be granted access to patient’s electronic health records with the Hospital Authority.

Meanwhile, the hospital announced plans to recruit more doctors from Hong Kong to promote healthcare collaboration between the two cities and better serve residents of the Greater Bay Area.