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Guangdong was in the vanguard of China's reform and opening-up in the 1970s and '80s, and today it is home to many leading hospitals and booming high-tech businesses.

The southern province is also a pioneer of China's healthcare reform, with efforts to develop a hierarchical medical system and internet-based treatment.

However, medical services in remote areas are still far from satisfactory, while many county-and township-level hospitals lack advanced equipment and well-trained staff.

Since 2017, Guangdong has invested 50 billion yuan to improve the healthcare infrastructure in underdeveloped regions, and has also encouraged large hospitals to provide assistance with training.

According to the provincial health authorities, the inpatient rate at county hospitals reached 83.5 percent last year. In Gaozhou, the rate is 90 percent, indicating that more patients now see doctors locally, rather than traveling to big cities.

He Yong welcomed cooperation with top hospitals through 5G technologies, but noted that county hospitals have to spend more on high-quality equipment. "It is still a challenge for us," he said.

In May, doctors with the Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou used 5G to remotely direct three operations in real time in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Gaozhou.

Liu Zhuowei, vice-president of the center, said the move proved that 5G-assisted treatment is efficient.

Guo, the surgeon in Guangzhou, expects 5G to provide greater surgical safety, but the main advantage will be in having specialists from large hospitals assisting more junior colleagues elsewhere.

"I hope big hospitals will not be overcrowded, and we will have more time for research and treating critically ill patients," he said.