MEDICAL institutions should treat critically ill patients first and receive payments later without buck-passing or refusal, according to the first-aid regulations approved by the Standing Committee of the Municipal People’s Congress on Wednesday, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

The regulations will take effect Oct. 1. Drawing from experiences from European countries and the United States, a graded dispatching system for pre-hospital first aid has been established, the Daily report said.

When residents call 120, the Shenzhen Emergency Center will determine the arrangement of first-aid medical staffers and an emergency vehicle to be dispatched after evaluating the patient’s condition.

The emergency center will also organize doctors or dispatchers to give necessary guidance to patients or other people on the scene.

In addition, the rules have further broadened the network of medical institutions qualified to provide first aid. While it is specified that public general hospitals and specialized hospitals should join the network, qualified private hospitals can also sign an agreement with the emergency center to partake in it.

As for which hospital the ambulance should go to, the regulations have explicitly stated that the emergency center should give out instructions based on the principle of proximity, emergency and professionalism, while also taking the patient’s and the family’s will into account.

It is stipulated that medical institutions should be prepared to execute treatment after receiving a first-aid notice from pre-hospital medical staffers and should complete related procedures within 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, public places such as the airport, metro stations, railway stations and checkpoints are required to be equipped with AEDs (automated external defibrillators).

The regulations also highlight the training of first-aid knowledge and skills in schools. It is required that primary school students correctly call 120, while secondary and high school students master basic first-aid knowledge.

With regards to pre-hospital first-aid expenses, it is specified in the regulations that patients should pay the bills. Medical institutions can apply for the city’s disease emergency fund after treating critically ill patients who are unidentified or unable to cover the costs.

(Zhang Yu)