China Medical News

Patients seeking medical treatment in China now need to receive a diagnosis in person from a doctor at a hospital before they can access online consultation services, according to new regulations aimed at improving supervision of the nascent internet healthcare industry.

The rules also require online service providers to have cooperation agreements with brick-and-mortar hospitals and say that health professionals must read a patient's medical records before they consult or prescribe medicine over the internet.

The National Health Commission, which released the regulations on Sept 14, said medical consultants need at least three years of clinical experience in order to provide web services, and only prescriptions for common illnesses and chronic diseases are allowed to be issued online.

The use of telecommunications and information technology to offer clinical care from a distance－known as telemedicine－has already helped improve access to healthcare for those living in remote communities. Huang Yong, deputy director of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University, said a telemedicine program operated by the university in the Garze Tibet autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, has saved about 90% of patients with hepatic hydatid－a liver disease caused by tapeworm－from traveling long distances to other provinces for proper treatment. "The number of patients being diagnosed and treated locally has increased by five times since the launch of the program," he said, adding that telemedicine channels high-quality medical resources to communities with less-advanced services.

The online medical consulting market has grown rapidly in China, with more than 1,000 companies formed between 2011 and 2016, according to a report by financial news outlet Yicai citing figures from the founder of an online medical services platform. The report added that at least 200 billion yuan ($29.1 billion) had been invested in the market in the past four years. (Source: China Daily)