Shanghai to allow public hospital doctors to work at new clinic for rich foreigners

Eight leading state-owned hospitals in the city signed an agreement with the Shanghai International Medical Center yesterday that will allow doctors from the state hospitals to work at the international center.
Pudong officials said the establishment of the medical center is to attract expatriates and wealthy Chinese to seek treatment in the city instead of going to Hong Kong or to their home countries for treatment. The private hospital is managed by Singapore-based ParkwayHealth, the largest health group in Asia.
The medical center will start operating in March next year at the Pudong International Medical Zone, one of the city’s two medical zones that will host private and joint-venture hospitals offering high-end health service.
It will be the first time that a private hospital will have medical staff from state hospitals, thanks to the health reforms promoted by the city to develop and promote private health facilities.

The hospitals that signed the agreement with the Shanghai International Medical Center include Ruijin, Renji, Xinhua and Changzheng hospitals, Shanghai No. 9 People’s Hospital, Shanghai No. 1 People’s Hospital, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center and Shanghai Chest Hospital.
Doctors and other medical staff from the state hospitals will work at the international medical center at their convenience.
But they must get the employer’s approval if they practice medicine in other facilities.
The center has also set up “green channels” with the eight hospitals that allows them to invite experts for group consultation on complicated cases and convenient patient transfers between hospitals and the center.
“The center will hire some 50 doctors and the same amount of experts from the eight hospitals,” Zhang Chengyu, president of Shanghai International Medical Center, said yesterday.
“Experts from state-owned hospitals can earn in line with their capability from working here.
“About half of the income from our center will be used for staff salaries, which is similar to hospitals in developed countries,” Zhang said.
Source: Shanghai Daily