On April 4, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission organized a media communication meeting on palliative care services in Beijing Gulou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.
Member of the Party Committee of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission
Executive Deputy Director, and First-level Inspector of the Municipal Office on Aging
Wang Xiaoe
In recent years, in order to further improve the elderly health service system, increase the supply of palliative care services, and adapt to the diversified and differentiated palliative care service needs of the elderly, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission adhered to the demand-oriented approach, accelerated the construction of a palliative care service system, explored the service model, and increased the services supply, which has achieved initial results.
1. Clarify the target of palliative care services
In 2022, "Beijing Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Development of Palliative Care Services" was issued, which put forward 8 key tasks such as optimizing the distribution of palliative care service resources and increasing the service supply. It is clear that "by 2025, at least one palliative care center will be set up in each district, providing no less than 1,800 palliative care services, and community health service institutions can generally provide community and home palliative care services, basically meeting the needs of palliative care services for the elderly".
2. Expand the supply of palliative care service beds
We strive to meet the diverse needs of the elderly, integrate the medical resources in Beijing, and expand the number of palliative care institutions and beds in a planned and step-by-step manner. The general hospitals, traditional Chinese medicine hospitals (integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine), and specialized hospitals were guided to set up palliative care departments. The establishment of palliative care beds in oncology, pain, geriatrics and other related departments and the transformation of qualified secondary hospitals and community health service centers into palliative care centers were supported. By the end of 2022, 95 medical institutions in Beijing had registered hospice (palliative care department), 28 medical institutions had set up palliative care beds, and 650 palliative care service beds were provided.
3. Explore the development mode of palliative care services
We adhere to the principle of pilot first, and explore the establishment of a replicable, scalable and sustainable palliative care service model. In 2016, Beijing launched palliative care services in 15 pilot medical institutions. In 2017 and 2019, two batches of four districts, including Dongcheng, Xicheng, Haidian and Chaoyang, were included in the national palliative care pilot. In 2020, Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Beijing Hospital were recognized as Beijing palliative care guidance centers, and 9 medical institutions, including Beijing Geriatric Hospital, Shougang Hospital, Tsinghua Chang Gung Hospital, Longfu Hospital and Haidian Hospital, were selected as the first batch of palliative care demonstration bases.
4. Build a scientific system of palliative care services
We coordinate the planning and layout of palliative care service resources in Beijing, and establish a comprehensive and continuous palliative care service system, integrating institutions and home, based on the community and home, supplemented by institutions. We guided medical institutions to divide links and cooperate to provide palliative care services in an orderly manner.
5. Meet the diverse demands of palliative care services
As a type of medical institution specializing in providing palliative care services for terminal patients, palliative care center has been the shortcoming of Beijing's elderly health service system. In order to make up for the lack and provide diversified services, in 2022 and 2023, the municipal government has included the transformation of medical institutions of the construction of palliative care centers into people's livelihood projects for two consecutive years. In 2022, 6 institutions, including Gulou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Beijing Sixth Hospital, Muslim Hospital, Haidian Hospital, Tongzhou District Geriatrics Hospital, and Puhuangyu Community Health Service Center in Fengtai District, have all passed the evaluation and acceptance, completing the task of transforming and building palliative care centers in the first batch.
In the next step, we will give full play to the advantages of the capital's medical resources, gradually improve the palliative care supporting policies, continue to expand the supply of palliative care services, accelerate the cultivation of palliative care talents, vigorously promote the palliative care service model, and build a palliative care system with the characteristics of the capital, to expand the services spectrum and make life more dignified.