China's Ministry of Health has just published two management rules on the short-term practice of medical services in the mainland by physicians from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
The two rules, the Statute on the Management of Short-term Medical Practice of Physicians from Hong Kong and Macau in Mainland China and the Statute on the Management of Short-term Medical Practice of Physicians from Taiwan in Mainland China, are reported to take effect from March 1, 2009.
The new Rules say that Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan physicians who are practicing medical service in the mainland for on a short term basis of no more than three years should register and by invited by medical institutions with independent legal personnel with qualifications from the mainland, and the medical department they serve in the mainland must be a health department or traditional Chinese medicine management department above the municipal level. In addition, they must obtain a practice certificate for clinical treatment, traditional Chinese medicine and consultancy, and go through the same formalities for short term physicians if they need to continue to work in the mainland after three years.
The rules say that these physicians must restrict their medical service to the site, service type, and service range for which they register and they shall be subject to the mainland's Statute of Medical Accident Management and relevant rules for any disputes arising from medical accident.
