Doctors treat patients by video in clinic trial

Online consultations seen as way to relieve pressure on big hospitals

Rather than waiting in long lines to see a doctor, residents of Guangdong province can go instead to a nearby pharmacy, have a video chat with a physician from a top-notch hospital and buy medicine at the store. The process can be completed in minutes.

Guangdong No 2 Provincial People's Hospital, in Guangzhou, launched the first online hospital in the country on Tuesday, offering the new option for patients with common or chronic ailments.