China had 16,900 private hospitals as of April 2017, accounting for 57.2 percent of all hospitals in China.
The number of private hospitals in China has doubled since 2011, according to China's National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC).
The number of private health institutions also rose to 444,000, accounting for 45 percent of all health institutions, said the NHFPC.
The country's healthcare authorities have been relaxing policy controls and encouraging the private sector to build health institutions, said Jiao Yahui, an official with the NHFPC.
To continue to encourage private investment, the NHFPC released a series of policy changes to stimulate market vitality, including inviting foreign investment to join the competition, said the NHFPC.
