Thirteen hospitals in China, including four from Hong Kong, will go through an evaluation process in order to get accredited by the International Hospital Quality Accreditation Standards (2021 Version), which was compiled by the Shenzhen Hospital Accreditation Research Center.

A ceremony was held in Qianhai yesterday to launch the evaluation. It was also announced at the ceremony that the center has settled in Qianhai.

The 13 hospitals include five from Shenzhen. They are Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Hospital, Longhua District People’s Hospital, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital.

The four hospitals from Hong Kong are Prince of Wales Hospital, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong Medical Center.

Guangzhou has two hospitals included — the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Guangzhou First People’s Hospital.

Beijing and Zhuhai each has one hospital, namely, Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital and Zhuhai People’s Hospital.

Hospitals that pass the assessment will be certified, with a validity period of four years, which means that a review will be conducted every four years.

The evaluation and accreditation is expected to promote the integrated development of medical systems on the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and effectively link up health care rules, according to the city’s health authority.

Meanwhile, it will also facilitate Chinese hospitals to align with international standards, making it easier for domestic hospitals to obtain recognition from international commercial insurers.

Shenzhen is tasked to explore the establishment of a hospital accreditation standard system in line with international standards, as per China’s plan for comprehensive reforms in Shenzhen to build the city into a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In December 2020, Shenzhen set up the Shenzhen Hospital Accreditation Research Center, a nonprofit third-party evaluation research center.

The International Hospital Quality Accreditation Standards (2021 Version) compiled by the center received high scores in the authoritative certification from the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association. In September 2022, the standards were released in Qianhai, becoming the first internationally certified hospital accreditation standards in China, according to the city’s health authority.