China's Ministry of Health has issued a document which asks hospitals to adopt the principle of "curing first and charging later" for patients who have emergencies and critical diseases.
The document, which is called Emergency Department Construction and Management Guideline, states that the Emergency Department of hospitals shall complete an emergency diagnosis and cure within given time. It must not refuse or defer any patients and should instead keep to the principle of "treatment before payment" to ensure the emergency patients can be cured in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the Emergency Department should make and implement strict triage procedures and principles and conduct triage based on the seriousness of the disease of the patients.
The guideline requires that a medical area and a supporting area be set up in the emergency department. It says that hospitals that have the conditions should also establish an emergency surgery room and an emergency intensive care unit.
The Ministry of Health requires hospitals to improve on the construction and management of their emergency department and improve the emergent medical service of their hospitals according to the Guideline. Those that are not up to the stated conditions shall gradually set up a standardized emergency department.
