Photo: VCG

China unveiled a work plan on Friday to pilot foreign-owned hospitals in certain provinces and cities, further opening up its healthcare sector. The plan aims to attract high-quality international medical resources and diversify domestic healthcare services.

The plan permits the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals (excluding Traditional Chinese Medical hospitals and merges and acquisitions of public hospitals) in North China’s Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, East China’s Shanghai, Nanjing and Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, Fuzhou in Fujian Province, and South China’s Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, Hainan Province. The plan was jointly released by the National Health Commission of China, Ministry of Commerce, National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and National Disease Control and Prevention Administration.

The work plan provides a detailed explanation of the pilot tasks, conditions, management measures, and organization implementation.

The pilot program’s conditions include foreign-owned hospitals having to provide internationally advanced management, service models, and medical technologies, while addressing local gaps in healthcare services, technologies, and facilities.

The pilot conditions also include hospitals having to comply with relevant laws and regulations, with at least 50 percent of management and healthcare personnel being Chinese mainland citizens. Additionally, foreign doctors may be employed for short-term practice as permitted.

Management measures include local health authorities assuming responsibility for the approval and ongoing oversight of foreign-owned hospitals, ensuring they comply with relevant laws and regulations while promoting strong self-management within the hospitals.

The measures also stipulate that foreign-owned hospitals must be incorporated into the medical quality and safety management system, encouraged to participate in hospital evaluations, and operate in line with China's legal, clinical, and ethical standards.

China planned to allow the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in certain cities and regions across the country, according to an official document unveiled on September 8.

China has continued to greenlight the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in select cities and regions, marking one of its latest efforts to open up the services sector. Some analysts have called this a potential "Tesla moment" for China’s healthcare industry.

Global Times