Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital

Shenzhen Third People's Hospital — also operating as the Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology — is one of China's most distinctive major hospitals, having risen to national prominence as the epicenter of Shenzhen's COVID-19 response while simultaneously building one of the country's most comprehensive organ transplant programs. It is the only hospital in Shenzhen to enter the Fudan national top-100 comprehensive ranking, driven by world-class infectious disease expertise and a rapidly expanding surgical platform.

History and Scale: Founded in 1985 as the Shenzhen Donghu Hospital — a modest infectious disease facility in Luohu District — the hospital's profile began rising in 1996 with the establishment of the Shenzhen Liver Disease Research Institute. Its baptism as a frontline institution came during the 2003 SARS outbreak, when it served as Shenzhen's designated SARS hospital. This experience catalyzed a complete transformation: in 2004 it was renamed Shenzhen Third People's Hospital and relocated to a purpose-built campus in Longgang District, which opened in December 2010. It achieved Grade A tertiary accreditation in 2018 and became SUSTech's second affiliated hospital the same year. The hospital's defining moment came in 2019 when it was designated the National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases — Shenzhen's only national-level clinical research center and only the third such center in Guangdong Province. During COVID-19, it was Shenzhen's sole designated treatment hospital. It now operates 2,416 beds (including 1,008 negative-pressure isolation beds in the emergency campus) with expansion to 3,008 beds planned. It fields 56 clinical departments and was the first hospital in Shenzhen to acquire organ transplant qualifications (liver and kidney in 2017, later adding lung, pancreas, and cornea).

Star Specialties: The hospital's "three-horse carriage" strategy centers on Infectious Diseases, Organ Transplantation, and Biotherapy. The Infectious Diseases Department is a National Key Clinical Specialty, with world-class programs in tuberculosis (ranked 4th nationally on the Fudan specialty list and 4th in STEM), HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and emerging infectious diseases. The Organ Transplant Center now holds qualifications for liver, kidney, lung, pancreas, and cornea transplantation — one of the most complete transplant portfolios in China — and performs complex multi-organ procedures. The hospital is also building comprehensive capabilities in Thoracic Surgery, Respiratory Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Dermatology (ranked 30th nationally in STEM). Its biotherapy program, including CAR-T cell therapy and other cellular immunotherapies, is among the most active in South China. The hospital's tuberculosis program is the referral center for all of Guangdong Province's drug-resistant TB cases.

Achievements and Recognition: The hospital entered the Fudan national comprehensive hospital top 100 for the first time in 2020 — the first Shenzhen hospital ever to do so — and repeated this achievement in 2022 at 100th place. In the 2022 STEM comprehensive ranking, it placed 88th nationally and 1st in Shenzhen. Its Tuberculosis discipline ranks 4th nationally in both Fudan reputation and STEM evaluations, and 1st in Guangdong Province. Infectious Diseases STEM ranking reached 11th nationally, also 1st in Guangdong. In 2024, both Clinical Medicine and Immunology entered the ESI global top 1%. It was named a National Advanced Collective in COVID-19 Response by the central government.

International Services: The hospital's international patient services are coordinated through its Special Diagnosis and Treatment Department. Given its role as the national infectious disease clinical research center, the hospital has substantial experience with international academic visitors and cross-border clinical consultations, particularly for complex tuberculosis and HIV management cases. English-speaking physicians are available in the infectious diseases, organ transplantation, and thoracic surgery departments. The hospital can arrange interpreter services for other languages with advance notice. Its international profile, elevated by the COVID-19 response and national research center status, has made it Shenzhen's most internationally recognized hospital among global health institutions.

Why Choose Shenzhen Third People's Hospital: For international patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis, complex HIV management, chronic hepatitis B/C requiring advanced antiviral strategies, or those seeking multi-organ transplantation evaluation, this hospital offers national-top-5 level expertise in a modern Shenzhen setting. Its unique identity as an infectious disease hospital that has successfully built elite surgical capabilities — including five-organ transplant qualifications — makes it the right destination for patients whose conditions straddle infectious and surgical domains, such as HBV-related liver cancer requiring transplantation, or TB-destroyed lung requiring thoracic surgical reconstruction.