BEIJING - A campaign to improve healthcare in the capital took a "crucial step" on Thursday when a new body charged with overseeing the operation of hospitals officially got to work.

Following the examples set by four other Chinese cities, Beijing has established a Hospital Authority responsible for completing a variety of tasks called for in a plan to reform the city's medical system.

The 60 members of the authority will be charged with supervising 22 prominent hospitals and ensuring that they are following government policies. It will also appoint chief executives to such places and purchase medical equipment for them.

"Today is a great day," said Fang Laiying, director of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, during a news conference. "I dressed in a pink shirt and red tie especially to show how happy I am."

Fang, who will lead the authority, said its formation was a "crucial step" toward reforming Beijing's healthcare system.

While the authority will be busy directly supervising hospitals, the city's long-standing health bureau will concentrate on long-term planning and policy-making.

Beijing is the fifth Chinese city to set up such a hospital authority. Hong Kong was the first, doing so in December 1990. Shanghai followed in 2005; Wuxi, in Jiangsu province, in 2006; and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, in 2010.

The Expert Advisory Committee, which consists of 36 specialists, was established under the State Council on June 23 this past year. Its purpose is to push for reforms of medical systems in China. Beijing became the 17th city in the country to adopt a reform plan. Many see the formation of the new authority as being the most important step in that plan.

"In the past, hospital presidents had made all of the decisions for hospitals," said Mao Yu, deputy director of the Beijing Hospital Authority.

"That was likely to lead to excessive burdens and to losses of objectivity. The authority, in contrast, will help to make sure the complex business of running a hospital goes smoothly."

He said separating policy-making from policy enforcement will not only relieve the health bureau from certain pressures but will also benefit patients.

According to official statistics, 146 million patients were treated in Beijing this past year. More than 50 million of them went to top-tier hospitals (those having more than 501 hospital beds) and 60 million went to residential clinics.

In response to questions and doubts from citizens, Fang said the effectiveness of the hospital authority can only be tested with time.

Mao, the deputy director, said that a supervision council consisting of representatives from all walks of life will be set up soon. It will be the third organization, following the hospital authority and the health bureau, to play a role in supervising the local medical system.

At a news conference, Han Xiaofang, director of the Beijing medical reform office, said a policy that will direct government support to private hospitals will be also released in the next month or so.