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Firm slams PRC over license failure

A local medical licensing consulting firm yesterday accused Beijing of failing to live up to its promise to allow Taiwanese medical professionals to obtain licenses in China and practice there.

After announcing more than half a year ago that Taiwanese doctors could apply for licenses in China, Beijing has not put in place any concrete measures, such as giving Taiwanese medical professionals a place to file applications, to bring the policy to reality, said Chang Chih-chia, chairman of the private Taiwan Hsin Chuan Consulting Co.

Chang said his company — which helps Taiwanese obtain licenses for doctors and nurses in Taiwan and the US — had received more than 200 inquiries from local doctors about obtaining a medical license in China since a Chinese official broached the idea in late February.

Mao Qunan (毛群安), a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Health, announced on Feb. 27 that licensed Taiwanese doctors who have been practicing medicine for more than five years could apply for a doctor’s license in China.

This was followed by an announcement by the ministry on March 7 that starting this year, qualified and licensed doctors from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau could apply for licenses in China.

The statement also indicated that those who failed to meet the requirements could still obtain a license if they passed medical certification tests in China, Chang said.

But these announcements were only “empty words,” Chang said, as Chinese authorities had not come up with any concrete measures to put those “policies” into practice.

He said that current regulations stipulate that Taiwanese medical professionals who want to practice in China have to be employed at the invitation of a local hospital and endorsed by two local doctors of the rank of a department deputy director or higher.

Such employment is limited to a one-year contract that can be renewed twice, he said.

Chang added that Taiwanese are not allowed to open their own clinics or hospitals in China unless in partnership with Chinese nationals, a policy that has led to many Taiwanese doctors being conned and suffering huge financial losses.

Chang urged Beijing to allow Taiwanese to open private clinics or hospitals in China as medical professionals from Hong Kong and Macau are already permitted to do.


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