Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) officially launched its Center for Family Medicine and Integrative Healthcare – a newly improved and integrated initiative that brings together the former Family Medicine, Integrative Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine departments, in pursuit of providing a more comprehensive, one-stop healthcare service to patients and their family members.

"We believe every family should have a family doctor they can turn to for advice and help, and invite you to choose any one of our physicians as your primary care provider," said Roo Changizi, chair of the new center.

Sylvia Pan, General Manager of BJU, said the successful launch of the center marks the hospital's leading role in the promotion of tiered medical systems here in China.

"The establishment of tiered medical systems is the future of the healthcare sector," Pan said. "As chronic diseases begin to prevail in this era, preventive healthcare mainly conducted by family medicine physicians is also the foundation of disease management."

According to Pan, BJU introduced the concept of "family medicine" to China when the hospital was set up 20 years ago, although it is a relatively mature medical service that has been applied by Western countries for a long time.

Although based around the original family medicine concept, BJU's newly upgraded Center for Family Medicine and Integrative Healthcare is a completely new initiative, as it combines both Traditional Chinese Medicine and the popular naturopathic therapies of the West – the sort of innovation that highlights BJU's characteristic commitment to providing international healthcare services to a multicultural community.

Always finding the answers

Neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain and tennis elbow… As a white-collar officer worker here in Beijing developing all kinds of chronic diseases, how can you stay in strong physical and mental health and effectively protect yourself from the city's severe air pollution? And how can you better manage your whole family's health in the long run?

These were just some of the questions answered by a cross-department panel of family medicine physicians at BJU's special health event on April 7, as they sought to put foreign expats living in Beijing at ease.

Ying Swee Ong, a Malaysian physiotherapist who used to work for several sports teams in New Zealand, shared her knowledge about office ergonomics with the guests at the event. First explaining the causes of chronic diseases, she then discussed how to avoid them by adjusting one's posture, or through a variety of easy exercises that can be done while at work.

Melissa Rodriguez, a naturopathic physician from Canada, gave her speech about the seven pillars of health one must seek to maintain in order to achieve a balanced lifestyle in Beijing, namely water, nutrition, sleep, exercise, meditation, pollution protection and a sense of community and belonging.

Both these doctors will be part of BJU's new and upgraded Center for Family Medicine and Integrative Healthcare. The centre's chair, Dr. Roo Changizi, praised his team of physicians, which consists of experienced family doctors, general practitioners and internal medicine doctors from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. All are specially trained to provide comprehensive medical care for infants, children, and adults of all ages.

With the launch of the Center for Family Medicine and Integrative Healthcare, international family medicine physicians and specialists will be providing professional medical services tailored to patients' personal needs, covering aspects as far ranging as chronic disease prevention, nutrition consultation, Traditional Chinese Medicine and more.