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A new Chinese health card has been issued in sections of Minhang as part of a pilot project being conducted in Shanghai by national health officials.
The new cards, which electronically record medical information, aim to deliver improved medical care that is more convenient to residents.
The first batch of 4,270 resident health cards was issued to residents in the communities of Pujiang, Gumei and Longbai. By the end of June, 300,000 cards covering all residents in the three communities will be distributed.
Cardholders will be able to go to any hospital or community health center and have their entire medical history available for doctors to access.
Health archive
“The health archive will play a key role in chronic disease control, disease prevention and the promotion of healthy lifestyles,” said Huang Chengtao, director of the Minhang District Commission of Public Health and Family Planning.
The new cards also contain a payment function, in conjunction with the Bank of China. Residents with accounts at the bank can pay medical fees with the cards.
“I think the medical archive is the best function of the new card,” said He Jing, a resident in Gumei. “With the archive, we can avoid repeating the same examinations over and over, and give doctors a clear picture of our conditions, such as drug allergy history.”
Minhang was a logical choice to trial the new cards because the district has been a pioneer in healthcare reform. In 2007, Minhang launched its own health card pilot project — the forerunner of the new national trial program.
Apart from logging medical history, the district’s program gives residents access to Minhang’s family doctor service. In addition to treating common diseases like colds and stomach flu, general practitioners under the system provide regular physical checkups, monitoring things like blood pressure and glucose levels, as part of a stay-healthy campaign.
The district’s trial was successful enough to draw the attention of national health authorities, who assessed the program and then launched the new health card project in 2011.
A draft outlining the new system stated that the ultimate goal of the resident health card is to provide a medical card that is valid throughout the mainland, with a health archive that can be accessed by doctors across the country.
Family doctor service
The commission said Minhang’s own program will continue, with expansion and improvements to the family doctor service.
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners can give advice on eating and other daily living conditions under provisions of the card’s use, while cardholders requiring long-term treatment, such as cancer patients and disabled persons, will have access to targeted services.
In the second half of this year, about 900,000 residents in another 10 Minhang communities, including Qibao, Huacao and Meilong, will receive the new cards.
If the pilot project is successful, as expected, distribution of the cards will be extended citywide in Shanghai and later nationwide, officials said.
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