A batch of new regulations on health care and transportation has officially come into force starting Jan. 1, bringing about changes to citizens in many aspects, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.
Among the newly implemented Medical Regulations of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the regulation on living wills is a legislative breakthrough, which sparked great attention.
As per the new regulations, medical institutions must respect patients’ living wills when carrying out medical treatments for those who are terminally ill or near the end of life. A living will is an advanced request to doctors that specifies a patient’s medical care preferences, which include whether to adopt traumatic rescue measures such as intubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use life support systems and carry out extended therapies.
The city’s new medical regulations also require medical institutions to upload the patients’ medical examination results to a shared platform, allowing an institution to extract a patient’s document online and helping patients avoid repeated examinations.
The regulations have also given clinical nurse specialists the right to write prescriptions. Registered medical professionals from Hong Kong and Macao are also allowed to practice in more than one medical institution in Shenzhen and must have permission from their main employer for short-term practice.
Additionally, starting Jan. 1, the city has increased the amount for grants to be given to only-child individuals who become parents. Each parent without siblings can get a 260-yuan (US$27.6) subsidy per month, 100 yuan more before the new regulations have been implemented.
China has also set new regulations for children’s preferential train tickets. Children must undergo real-name registration to buy train tickets after Jan. 1 and preferential child ticket prices will be based according to age instead of height. As per the new railway passenger transportation regulations, children between 6 and 14 years old are eligible to buy preferential tickets, while those above 14 should buy full-priced tickets. Adults can bring a child for free if the child is under 6 years old and does not need a seat. However, a passenger must purchase preferential tickets for children if he or she travels with more than one child.