Concord Medical Services Holdings announced that its subsidiary Medstar (Shanghai) Leasing Co has signed a contract with IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) for the purchase, installation and maintenance of a proton therapy system, which will be installed at Beijing Proton Medical Center.

The Beijing Proton Medical Center is jointly developed by Concord Medical and China-Japan Friendship Hospital.

The construction is expected to commence in this quarter. The center will be equipped with IBA's Proteus®PLUS four room configuration, including three gantry-rooms and one fix-beam room. All rooms will be equipped with IBA's next generation Pencil Beam Scanning capability.

Dr. Jianyu Yang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Concord Medical, commented, "We are delighted to see Beijing Proton Medical Center has made a significant breakthrough after so much efforts had been made in these years.

“It is Concord Medical's first proton therapy center in China and we are glad to have IBA as our equipment vendor. Our partner, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, is a well-known general hospital in Beijing, with outstanding scientific research ability and nationwide brand awareness.

Going forward, we will learn from the experience and technology from other advanced proton centers in the world and are committed to providing the best treatment for the cancer patients in China. By carrying out joint clinical research projects with oversea peers, we hope to achieve more academic breakthrough in proton cancer therapy research. " 

Olivier Legrain, Chief Executive Officer of IBA commented, "We are delighted to be enhancing our presence in China, another important indication of the appeal of our offering in the emerging markets.

We are also pleased to be supporting Concord Medical to advance its vision of bringing proton therapy to more patients in China. IBA's proton therapy technology has been used to treat more cancer patients than any other company in the world. This extensive experience and knowledge of proton therapy treatment has allowed IBA to ensure that more patients are able to access this highly accurate form of cancer treatment."

Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited is a leading specialty hospital management solution provider and operator of the largest network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China. As of June 30, 2016, the Company operated a network of 123 centers with 73 hospital partners that spanned 52 cities and 25 provinces and administrative regions in China.

Under long-term arrangements with top-tier hospitals in China, the Company provides radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging equipment and manages the daily operations of these centers, which are located on the premises of its hospital partners.

The Company also provides ongoing training to doctors and other medical professionals in its network of centers to ensure a high level of clinical care for patients.