A view of the cross-border emergency treatment hotline at the Dongxing People's Hospital, Guangxi, are on duty. [Photo/China News Service]

Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health of Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam, to deepen the cross-border medical rescue mechanism and promote direct cooperation between relevant medical institutions.

The two parties have agreed to establish dedicated international hotline numbers at Dongxing People's Hospital in China and Mong Cai Health Center in Vietnam to optimize the transfer process for critical patients, ensuring seamless coordination between the two hospitals.

This initiative between Dongxing and Mong Cai is the first cross-border medical rescue channel between China and Vietnam. Since its launch in 2016, it has enabled critically ill patients from Vietnam to quickly pass through the Dongxing Border Inspection Station and receive treatment at Dongxing People's Hospital.

As of Jan 2025, the cross-border medical rescue mechanism has rescued and treated over 650 patients, establishing a vital lifeline across the China-Vietnam border. In the past five years, medical institutions in Guangxi's border areas have provided approximately 53,000 Vietnamese patients with outpatient services.