Government News
City forum promotes international medical tourism 2024-10-28
Key measures to help Shanghai become a medical tourism destination are shared by industry insiders at an international seminar on high-end medical services last Friday.
They include enhancing the city's international influence, improving services and marketing, and giving hospitals more freedom in pricing, medicine and devices introduction, and professional training.
The Shanghai government has been pushing the city as a medical center in Asia, attracting more overseas patients, and views international medicine as a promising new business.
The Shanghai Health Commission has designated 13 leading public hospitals and 20 private hospitals as pilot facilities.
"Shanghai is home to the best medical capabilities and scientific innovation abilities in China. Boosting international medical services and medical tourism can expand Shanghai and China's positive international image and create a better business environment," said Wu Lingfang of the Shanghai Health Commission. "To boost the trial, we have introduced many policies like reducing pricing limitation and giving more quota on medical equipment purchase for pilot hospitals."
Dr Gu Jingwen, director of Huashan Hospital's Worldwide Medical Center and director of Shanghai Society of International Medicine, said boosting international medical services is in line with the nation's requirements in high-quality development and opening-up.
"The city's plan of deepening health reform issued this week also highlights that Shanghai should build and perfect the new service model of international medical tourism and set up relevant rules and regulations as well as extend international promotion," she said. "It is a new challenge and opportunity for leading public hospitals, which actually have limited international influence. We should participate in more overseas events to do promotion and allow expat patients to know about Shanghai's health service, which is high quality but better price."
Dr Gu Jingwen (left) talks to a foreign patient at Huashan Hospital's Worldwide Medical Center.
Industry insiders said international medicine is an integrated field with medicine, management, tourism, services and insurance.
They suggest the government introduce more favorable policies to support the development of international medicine, such as independent pricing, more freedom in introducing drugs and medical devices as well as a special talent training and cultivating system.
Experts with international medicine experience also shared their opinions and offered suggestions on how to conduct international medical tourism.
Wu Ming-Yen, secretary-general of the Nongovernmental Hospitals and Clinics Association in Taiwan, said trust and service, which touches patients, was important to attract international patients.
"A very mature service chain is also essential, as a complete assistant model providing a one-stop service is extremely important for overseas patients. In Taiwan, we have a so-called international patient liaison center, which is in charge of all non-medical issues such as airport pickup, translation, accommodation, visa, financial consultation and even body or remains management for deceased patients," he said. "International medicine is a very important business in Asia. Shanghai should learn successful experiences from other places."
Source: Shanghai Daily
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