All Shenzhen's public hospitals will be forced to take out
insurance against medical accidents later this year following a
series of disputes between patients and hospitals, according to the
latest issue of the city government's gazette.
Patients who suffer from medical malpractice will in future
receive compensation from insurance companies rather than hospitals
to avoid further dispute or conflict.
"Public hospitals, clinics and medical institutions will be
obliged to buy the new insurance, while private hospitals are
strongly recommended to buy similar cover," said the government
gazette.
It said a special team comprising of officials from the city's
financial affairs office, health bureau and Shenzhen Bureau of
Insurance Regulatory Commission (SBIRC) will be responsible for
promoting the scheme.
"Patients and their relatives are entitled to compensation from
insurance companies if medical malpractice took place. This enables
a fair and efficient settlement for both the patients and hospitals
involved, avoiding unnecessary disputes between the two," said a
spokeswoman surnamed Guo from the municipal health bureau.
Guo said the insurance would help reduce doctors' fears when
dealing with patients suffering from serious conditions. It would
also help reduce surgeons’ financial responsibilities when medical
malpractices are confirmed.
The premium will be paid by hospitals. Public hospitals, which
will receive subsidies from the municipal government, are required
to record their insurance purchase with the health bureau.
However, a spokesman for the SBIRC said the new insurance
policies were still being drafted by local insurance companies, and
not expected until later this year.
Fourteen out of 16 hospitals in the city were embroiled in
disputes with patients last year, earlier media reports said. Last
week, some 600 angry protesters laid siege to a hospital in Bao'an
District for four days, after a 9-year-old boy died there.
(Shenzhen Daily August 3, 2007)
