Crews are working at top speed on the construction of the first top-tier hospital in the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone in Fujian, the Pingtan Times reported on Sept 23.

The power center building of Xiehe Hospital has completed capping, and the workers are doing excavation work at the base of the main building and the clinic building, said the newspaper, quoting a manager of the project.

The power center occupies an area of 3,600 square meters, and it is an integrated place with rooms for generators, refrigeration compressors and air conditioners.

Zhang Cungen, an engineer responsible for the project, said that the process of digging a foundation pit under the main building is something of a challenge, as the soil is relatively soft and requires extra consolidation efforts.

But he said that the foundation will be finished by the end of October.

The construction of the Xiehe Hospital started on September 9, 2012. It is designed to be the first grade-three hospital - the highest of China's three-tier grading system for public hospitals - in the island county of Pingtan.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman