Wang Yuanyuan
PATIENTS will not have to wait for more than 30 minutes to see a doctor at public hospitals by 2015, according to a plan on public hospital reform announced Friday.
General outpatients clinics will gradually become special clinics from this year and 70 percent of the clinics will be special clinics in 2015 so that patients with different symptoms can be separated to save time, according to the city health, population and family planning commission plan.
Appointments with doctors could be made in advance at all district and city public hospitals from this year to increase efficiency and save waiting time. Green lanes will be created for patients who need to transfer to higher-level hospitals, the plan said.
Public health facilities would be the main medical resources, accounting for at least 70 percent of the city s medical resources by 2015. More hospitals and medical organizations would be built in Longgang and Bao an districts and Guangming and Pingshan new zones in five years. In 2015, each area will have at least one city-level hospital and more special hospitals for diseases such as pediatrics and oncology would be built in these areas.
High-end nursing services will also be given at all city public hospitals by specially trained paramedics in 2015, the commission said without elaborating what such nursing services are.
The 15-percent drug markup will also be canceled at public hospitals this year to reduce medical expenses. A patient s annual average medical expense could not be increased by more than 4 percent compared with the previous year.
Hospitals would also be ordered to control labor costs and operating expenses to reduce medical fees.
Qianhai area would pilot the introduction of medical organizations from Hong Kong and Macao to operate in Shenzhen and the Shenzhen market would fully open to them by 2015, the plan said.
