"With the rapid development of Internet, patients don't have to wait in a long queue to see a doctor. But patients can see doctors online", said Wang Wei, a deputy to the 12th National People's Congress.
Wang said, in some major cities in China, there is no need for some patients to travel a long distance and spend a huge amount of money to see a doctor. Telemedicine enables medical experts in Beijing or Shanghai to diagnose via cell phones or computers.
Online hospital is expected to run in Guizhou in the first half of this year. Test trials will be launched in Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou province.
Through online hospital, patients can get prescriptions without physically showing in hospitals. It also helps to increase the efficiency of medical organizations and resolve difficulty in accessing medical care, according to Wang,"It may even threaten traditional hospitals after improvement."
Lu Hongguang, a CPPCC member, also looks to telemedicine.
"Online hospital, which allocate medical resources based on the patients, has changed the 'hospital-centered' mode to 'patient-centered', which facilitate patients quite a lot", said Lu.
Lu's proposal focuses on establishing a public service platform of medical information which integrates various medical resources, physicians as well as patients. The private, real-time monitored platform, based on big data analysis,provides patients’medical history to doctors for better diagnosis. Patients could also look for preferred doctors and medical organizations to check availability.
Telemedicine enables a personnel and comprehensive healthcare, according to Wang and Lu.