Is it good if doctors work part-time outside hospitals?

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In the latest round of China's medical reform, policymakers are encouraged to give doctors the freedom to choose where they see patients. Experts say this can help to tackle the country's chronic imbalance in medical resources.

This week, a doctors’ group in the city of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, has obtained the business license – the first of its kind in northeast China.

For over 30 years, doctor Li Xiuqin has helped cancer patients fight and win their life-and-death battles. She especially helps late-stage cancer patients with medicine as well as mental support.

“For senior doctors in public hospitals, we have to deal with a lot of administrative management work and also attend medical forums. So when patients call us asking for help some of us are too busy to help. So I thought, why not set up a doctors’ group to budget the time and concentrate on their medical treatment.” Li said when CGTN asked about her motive of setting up the group.

Doctor Li Xiuqin told CGTN that a doctors' group can help doctors budget the time and concentrate on their medical treatment. /CGTN Photo

The term "doctors’ group" refers to multiple doctors who carry out medical treatments independently from public or private hospitals. The practice is common in countries like the US, but in China, about 80 percent of the country's medical resources are found in big cities. And according to research, 30 percent of them are in large public hospitals that are flooded with patients.

In China, about 80 percent of the country's medical resources are found in big cities, and 30 percent of them are in large public hospitals that are flooded with patients. /CGTN Photo

It has long been a stereotype in China that a doctor who is not registered with any medical institutions is very likely to be a phony. So after the government released the plan to explore the practice of a freelance doctors’ group, certain social barriers have to be addressed to ensure the sound implementation.

Knowing the prevalence of such social “common sense”, doctor Li talked about her ideas, "First, we don't encourage doctors to resign from hospitals they work for before joining our group. We want them to work part-time here and build up their own reputations, because this is a relatively new concept, both doctors and patients have to adapt to it."

Two years ago, the first doctors’ group in China with a business license opened in the city of Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province. Ever since then, hundreds of doctors’ groups have sprung up, mostly in south China. Considering a strong legacy of planned economy in the northeast, it may take more time to roll out reforms here.

A forum was held in Shenyang following the opening of the first doctors' group in northeast China. /CGTN Photo

“We encourage, support and are willing to provide financial assistance to these doctors’ groups which give a great push in promoting medical reforms. Our ultimate goal is to generate more quality medical resources to the masses,” said Ji Liqun from Health and Family Planning Commission of Liaoning Province.

However, there are still many who are against the idea. Some public hospitals have mounted strong opposition, fearing doctors will take their patients away. While, patients worry that treatments from these groups cannot be covered by public health insurance.

Sun Xue(R), when interviewed by CGTN, said the doctor's profile is more important than the reputation of the hospital that he or she works for. /CGTN Photo

(Top image: Doctor Li Xiuqin from Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has helped cancer patients fight and win their life-and-death battles for over 30 years. /CGTN Photo)