Pilot program brings health care home in China

 27-Aug-16, Shanghai Daily

It used to be a headache for Xu Li when her children got sick. She would search the Internet for solutions and call friends for suggestions, but usually ended up rushing to a hospital where she sometimes had to queue for hours before seeing a doctor. Now things have changed.

Image: Shanghai Daily / CFP

Xu signed a contract with a team of family doctors with the community health center late in 2014. Since then she has enjoyed a set of personal medical services around the clock, including access to a family doctor.

Chongqing began piloting the family doctor program in 2012, under which community doctors sign contracts with residents and provide with them medical services, including health management, disease prevention and regular physical examinations at home.

Alongside Kunming, 200 Chinese cities will introduce such services this year. By 2020, China is planning to extend family doctor services to the entire population.

The program means every family has a doctor that they can consult first, rather than the Internet, says Fang Laiying, director of the Beijing Health and Family Planning Commission.

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