China needs more private hospitals to compliment the public health system, Zhao Yanqing, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) member and vice-chairman of the Liaoning Federation of Industry and Commerce told The Beijing News.
Zhao made suggestions on how to expand the scale of private medical institutions to provide patients with greater choice and access to healthcare.
First, we must broaden financing channels to ease pressure on non-government medical institutions, Zhao said. Funding and subsidies could be provided for key medical programs, lab construction and large-scale equipment procurement to further encourage their development.
Zhao also called for reduced taxes to further lessen the financial pressure on private healthcare providers.
If possible, central and local governments should include qualified private hospitals in the national medical insurance system to provide patients with broader coverage, Zhao said.
To address medical personnel shortages, private hospitals must improve their human resources policies such as salary, recruitment, training, promotion and benefits.
Supervision should be coordinated between health departments, the National Development and Reform Commission and other administrations, Zhao said, adding that patient feedback would also be a crucial factor in evaluating private healthcare institutions.
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