(Yicai Global) April 9 -- Chinese internet giant Tencent Holding's WeChat Pay third-party payment platform recently added a healthcare app.

The function is currently available only in beta form and only visible to WeChat users in the firm's home city of Shenzhen, it said.

The mini program the company introduced on March 18 based on the open capability of its WeChat platform will become the 10th app in WeChat Pay's portfolio.

Users in Shenzhen enjoy rapid diagnosis and consultation, online medicine buying, hospital registration and appointments for physical examinations via the feature, state-backed the Global Times reported yesterday.

The function will become available in more cities later, Tencent said, adding it hopes to help more institutions provide users with personalized medical services.

WeChat Pay has introduced other such programs for credit card repayments, mobile phone account top-ups, payment of living expenses and urban services. It has also started to provide social security payment record checks and social insurance premium payments.

The new feature also allows users to buy drugs in physical stores.

Tencent has launched various other health care products and invested extensively in domestic internet medical firms.

It has invested over 40 times in the medical arena since 2011, per the statistics of scientific innovation media All Weather TMT, run by the PBC School of Finance of Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University.

Editor: Ben Armour