Online register of medical services launched

An online register of medical services in China has been launched to strengthen supervision and enhance public convenience, the country's top health authority announced at a news conference on June 20.

Available through the website of the National Health Commission, the Healthy China app and Healthy China WeChat account, the system has three sections, dealing with medical institutions, doctors and nurses.

With just a few clicks of a mouse, people can access basic information about medical professionals, including their educational background and certificates, as well as medical institutions' quality, departments and how long they are licensed for.

"The public can tell if a medical institution is qualified for operation via the system," said Guo Yanhong, deputy head of the commission's Medical Administration Bureau.

The system also offers two separate portals for medical professionals and institutions, through which they can apply for qualification certificates and update existing information, creating an active database of medical resources across China.

Based on the information collected online, health authorities will use the system to examine and supervise the medical industry and better allocate medical resources.

"We're able to retrieve and analyze past and present information about hospitals, doctors and nurses, basically creating a map that will guide our policymaking," Guo said.

The commission has spearheaded the establishment of the system since 2015 to better regulate the 987,000 medical institutions, 3.4 million doctors and 3.8 million nurses in China.