Hospital licences in China: what the practising licence records and how it is reviewed

In China, a medical institution is defined by its licence. The Detailed Rules define a medical institution as one that has registered and obtained a Medical Institution Practising Licence (医疗机构执业许可证). This page explains what that licence records, how the rules say it is issued and reviewed, and how licensing information is announced. It does not name, rate or recommend any hospital.

What the licence is

The State Council's Regulation on the Administration of Medical Institutions says a medical institution must register and receive a Medical Institution Practising Licence in order to practise. Clinics follow a lighter route. They may practise after filing with the county-level health administration in their area, as the national health authority's rules require.

The Detailed Rules for Implementing the Regulation use the same test. They define a medical institution as one that has obtained the licence by registering under the Regulation and the Rules.

What the registering authority checks

The Regulation lists the conditions for registration:

the institution holds a set-up approval, where one is required
it meets the basic standards for medical institutions
it has a suitable name, organisation and premises
it has funds, facilities, equipment and professional health technical staff that fit its services
it has the relevant rules and regulations
it can bear civil liability on its own

The health administration at county level or above reviews an application within 45 days of accepting it. If the institution passes, it is registered and given the licence. If not, the result is sent to the applicant in writing.

The Detailed Rules add that the registering authority examines the application and visits the site. They also say the authority spot-checks the practitioners' basic knowledge and skills in disinfection, isolation and aseptic procedure. The licence and its copy are printed centrally by the national health authority.

What a licence records

The Regulation names four main registered items. They are the name, address and main person in charge, the form of ownership, the clinical departments and beds, and the registered capital.

The Detailed Rules give a longer list of registered items:

category, name, address, and the legal representative or main person in charge
form of ownership (所有制形式)
registered capital
service mode
clinical departments
floor area and beds
service targets
number of staff
the licence registration number, which is the medical institution code

For outpatient departments, clinics, health posts and similar small institutions, the registration also approves the kinds of medicine kept in an attached pharmacy.

Duties that come with the licence

The Regulation sets these duties for a licensed institution:

It must display the licence, its clinical departments, its opening hours and its fee schedule in a prominent place.
It must treat patients only within the clinical departments approved at registration or filing.
It must register a change of name, premises, main person in charge, clinical departments or beds with the original registering authority, or file the change with the original filing authority.
A licence must not be forged, altered, sold, transferred or lent.
If a licence is lost, the institution must promptly make a declaration and apply to the original registering authority for a replacement.

After a licence is revoked or cancelled, the Detailed Rules say the institution may not carry on medical activities.

Periodic review of the licence

The Regulation sets the review rhythm. A medical institution with fewer than 100 beds has its licence reviewed once a year, and one with 100 beds or more has it reviewed once every 3 years. The original registering authority carries out the review.

The Detailed Rules give the three-year period to general, traditional Chinese medicine, integrated, ethnic medicine and specialty hospitals with beds above one hundred, among other kinds of institution, and a one-year period to the others. An institution should apply three months before its period ends, and the health administration should complete the review within thirty days of accepting the application.

The registering authority may give a deferral of one to six months in some cases, for example where the institution does not meet the basic standards or is within a period for correcting faults. An institution without beds may not practise during a deferral. If it still cannot pass after the deferral, the registering authority cancels its licence.

How licensing information is announced

Under the Detailed Rules, the registering authority announces an institution's opening, relocation, renaming, change of clinical departments, suspension and closure, and the results of its review.

The Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission publishes data in this area. Its medical institution query page (医疗机构查询) lists releases of information on medical institutions licensed by the commission, each with a data date. The page also lists releases of information on institutions in Guangzhou licensed by the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission and by the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Other cities' arrangements were not collected for this page.

What this page did not establish

The Detailed Rules were read as republished on the Chinese central government portal, and the Regulation as republished on the Beijing Municipal Government portal. Later changes to either were not checked.
Provincial and municipal arrangements, apart from the Guangzhou page above, were not collected.
The data files on the Guangzhou page were not opened, and no institution's licence status is stated here.
This page does not tell any reader how to check a particular hospital.

Questions people ask

What is a Medical Institution Practising Licence?

The Detailed Rules define a medical institution as one that has obtained a Medical Institution Practising Licence by registering under the Regulation and the Rules.

Do clinics need the same licence?

Clinics may practise after filing with the county-level health administration, as the Regulation provides. The Regulation requires other medical institutions to register and hold the licence.

How often is a hospital's licence reviewed?

Under the Regulation, an institution with beds numbering 100 or more has its licence reviewed once every 3 years. An institution with fewer than 100 beds has it reviewed once a year.

Can a licence be lent or sold?

No. The Regulation says a licence must not be forged, altered, sold, transferred or lent.

Sources

Each source above was read on the date shown. This page is an unofficial summary of general administrative information. It is not published by the bodies named above, and it is not medical advice. If it differs from the official pages, the official pages prevail, and rules may change after the check date.