Beijing is currently promoting the construction of international hospital projects in key areas such as Chaoyang District, Haidian District, Zhongguancun Science City, Huairou Science City, Future Science and Technology City and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area.

The main structure of the Beijing Anzhen Dongfang Hospital project in Dongba area of Chaoyang District is expected to be capped by the end of December, while construction on the main structure of the Beijing Gaobo Hospital, an international research hospital project in Changping District, has already been completed. Meanwhile, the Fucheng Hospital project in Haidian District and the Jiahui Hospital project in Chaoyang District are progressing according to plan, while the Raffles Hospital and the United Family Women's and Children's Hospital in Chaoyang District have already been put into operation.

According to Lu Shanshao, Director of Medical Administration and Management Division of Beijing Municipal Health Commission, policy innovation in the development and reform of international medical services in Beijing has continuously been increased, with eight international pilot hospitals and ten key tasks identified. Medical institutions such as Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Guang'anmen Hospital, Beijing United Family Hospital, Sanfine International Hospital, and the General Administration of Customs (Beijing) International Travel Health Care Center have sought to align processes, services, and the environment with international standards through pilot programs. Public hospitals have been encouraged to establish and develop international medical departments, to prepare guidelines for the development of international medical departments in hospitals, and to improve their international medical services in general.

Various departments are working together to promote the implementation of innovative policies in pilot medical institutions and support the import of medications urgently needed for clinical purposes to pilot hospitals, assisting Peking Union Medical College Hospital with the import of Mitotane tablets for rare diseases urgently needed for clinical purposes. Pilot policies have been provided for ad hoc positions in hospitals, such as in Beijing Tiantan Hospital, where two foreign experts have been hired to fill ad hoc positions. Finally, the control over the prices of special medical services in public medical institutions in Beijing have been relaxed to promote the development of international medical services.

At the same time, international medical consortia have been established. Specifically, Chaoyang District has established an international medical consortium led by China-Japan Friendship Hospital, which has brought laboratory tests in institutions within the consortium into line with those of China-Japan Friendship Hospital. It has also improved the transfer channel between the international department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital and institutions within the consortium and established an integrated service package model covering health examinations, health management, rehabilitation, and health care.

Haidian District has set up an international medical consortium led by Peking University Third Hospital, with the participation of Tsinghua University Hospital and Peking University Hospital, and actively explored the institutional cooperation and talent training involved in international medical services.

To promote the accessibility of international medical services in the community, Chaoyang District has chosen Sanlitun as a pilot area. It has set up a "foreign-related medical care service desk" and a foreign consultation room at the Sanlitun Community Health Service Centre, standardized foreign language signs throughout the center, established bilingual health records in Chinese and English, provided international patients with medical records and examination and test materials in English, and offered general medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, dentistry, maternal health care, child health care and vaccination services to foreigners.

The Sanlitun Second Community Health Service Centre has signed agreements for home medical services with six embassies, providing 24-hour free health consultation, bilingual home consultations, dental management, nutritional and healthy diet consultation and management, and traditional Chinese medicine and cultural health exchanges. Foreign nationals may use their identity documents, such as permanent residence permits and passports, through such medical service channels as the unified platform for booking medical appointments in Beijing.

In terms of strengthening the training of talented international medical professionals, the "Capital Medical Foreign Language Talent Pool" has been established to bring together a group of talented high-level and inter-disciplinary foreign language professionals. Xuanwu Hospital and Johns Hopkins University, YouAn Hospital and Oxford University, Tongren Hospital and Ghent University, and Friendship Hospital and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have established joint talent training mechanisms to promote international training for local talent. Chaoyang District has organized English language training sessions for frontline and personnel responsible for foreign affairs at service desks in medical institutions, and arranged groups of professional and technical personnel for exchanges and overseas study.

Beijing will also accelerate the alignment of its medical services and payment systems with international standards and optimize medical insurance and security services. Furthermore, Beijing will aim to support pilot hospitals in carrying out international medical service management accreditation and international commercial insurance accreditation and promote cooperation between commercial insurance companies and medical institutions. Finally, Beijing will encourage the implementation of supporting medical insurance policies for international medical services and promote an effective connection between commercial health insurance and basic medical insurance to ensure patients receive more convenient treatment and security. 

(Source: The Beijing News)