China boosts access to quality healthcare with online initial consultations

BEIJING -- For Tang Juan, the past six months have unfolded under a cloud of quiet worry, as her eight-year-old son has shown little growth in height.

Doctors in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, recommended further checks at the endocrinology department of Beijing Children's Hospital, a referral that in practice entails a journey of more than 1,000 kilometers, hours on a high-speed train, and significant disruption to both school and work.

That burden, however, has now been eased, as a pilot program enabling initial online medical consultations allows patients to book their first assessment with top specialists remotely.

Beijing, home to some of the country's most advanced medical resources, is the first city to roll out the service. For Tang, the timing could not be better, as the hospital she was referred to is one of just two medical institutions participating in the initiative.

Currently, the service covers child growth and development, pediatric nutrition and pediatric dermatology.

Through her mobile phone, Tang can schedule an initial online consultation with a Beijing-based expert for a preliminary evaluation and advice. "It gives me peace of mind and saves a lot of trouble," she said.

The initiative is part of China's broader efforts to expand access to quality healthcare for its 1.4 billion people.

It marks a shift from previous internet-based consultations, which were generally limited to follow-up visits for common and chronic conditions after an initial in-person appointment.

Services under the one-year pilot initiative include online pre-consultation assessments, virtual diagnoses and home delivery of prescribed medicines. The program will be evaluated in December 2026, according to health authorities.

Officials note that initial online consultations are expected to ease pressure on both hospitals and patients, improve service quality, and narrow gaps in access to medical care.

In-person consultations remain preferred for severe or complex conditions, said Wang Ping, an expert in patient safety education, adding that online and offline medical services must follow the same quality and safety standards.

CATALYST FOR "INTERNET PLUS" HEALTHCARE

Gu Hai, director of a health policy and management research center at Nanjing University, said that granting online prescription rights marks a key step in integrating online diagnosis and treatment into the core of medical services.

Connecting diagnosis, treatment, medication and medical insurance is essential for internet-based healthcare to benefit more patients, he added.

Industry insiders have called for faster development of electronic prescription platforms, allowing online prescriptions to be securely sent to local pharmacies for patient pick-up or home delivery.

They also urged medical insurers to include eligible initial online consultations under coverage.

Zhang Rui, secretary-general of a pharmaceutical AI innovation alliance, said the pilot program could spur medical tech innovation, increasing demand for high-definition video consultations, intelligent triage, shared electronic medical records, AI-assisted diagnosis, and remote monitoring devices.

Experts believe that initial online consultation services could eventually expand to cover more specialties, including chronic disease management and mental health, bringing closer to reality the vision of "more data flows, less patient travel."