Peking University, May 14, 2010: A new service which allows patients to pay the total amount of their bill before leaving the hospital, instead of having to pay each time before receiving any medical checkup or treatment, will save them 25 to 30 percent of their time, the Beijing News reported Friday.

The service, piloted in Peking University People's Hospital, will be available in all of the country's State-owned hospitals in the future, Zhao Minggang, deputy director of the department of medical administration under the Ministry of Health, said Thursday.

Patients will only have to pay once before leaving the hospital but they will have to first pre-pay some deposits when they come for their medical treatment. The deposit won't be needed in the future, but is currently required as China's credit system has not been set up, according to the newspaper.

A patient named Qi Ying in Peking University People's Hospital said Thursday the new service saved her at least half an hour from having to queue.

Zhao said the pilot operation of the service has attracted a positive response from the country's medical institutions, with the Ningbo First People's Hospital trying not to ask for a deposit when providing the new service, and hospitals in Henan have also started to adopt the new service.

Reported by: Zhang Jiawei

Edited by: Jacques

Source: China Daily