Vice-Premier Liu Yandong urged expanding public hospital reform and establishing a modern hospital management system with improved services and enhanced efficiency during a symposium in Beijing on Feb 22.

The vice-premier said at the symposium during her visit to Peking Union Medical College Hospital that public hospitals, as the main force in medical reform, should remove mark-ups on drugs, to push forward comprehensive reform of urban public hospitals.

Liu also called for curbing the cost of medical services and medicine, eliminating the profit-seeking mechanism at public hospitals that led to soaring medical expenses, with the goal of providing the public with fair and reasonable medical services.

Independent operation of public hospitals was also urged, without interference from government administration, in order to enhance operations and efficiency at public hospitals, Liu stressed.

Meanwhile, public hospitals should also take the lead in guiding good medical resources to grassroots levels in an attempt to promote medical association and establishing a hierarchical medical system, the vice-premier said.

She also called for avoiding excessive medical treatments, implementing refined management and accurate evaluation of medical services at public hospitals.

In addition, the vice-premier called for establishing and improving resources and payment, and talent cultivation system for medical care personnel, while cracking down on illegal acts involving medical industries.

Construction of hospital culture should also be strengthened, with efforts to guide medical staff to serve people with better medical ethics and skills, the vice-premier said.