Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA)
Medical Services
Relevant Mainland Rules and Regulations
Rules and regulations promulgated by the Mainland authorities relating to the implementation of commitments under CEPA :
Medical Institutions
- Hong Kong Service Suppliers (HKSS) may set up medical institutions in the Mainland in the form of wholly-owned entity, or in the form of equity or contractual joint venture with Mainland's medical institutions, companies, corporates or other economic organisations. Apart from wholly-owned hospitals and wholly-owned convalescent hospitals, medical institutions established by HKSS shall be subject to the standards and requirements applicable to medical institutions established by Mainland entities and individuals.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Notification on the Setting up of Medical Institutions by Hong Kong and Macao Service Suppliers in the Mainland" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 72 - Oct 2012) (in Chinese only)
- "Regulation on the Management of Medical Institutions" (2022 Revision - Mar 2022) (in Chinese only)
- "Implementation Details for the Management of Medical Institutions" (2017 Revision - Feb 2017) (in Chinese only)
- "Interim Measures on the Management of Medical Institutions in the form of Sino-foreign Equity or Contractual Joint Venture" (Decree of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation No. 11 - Jul 2000) (in Chinese only)
- "Supplementary Provisions to the Interim Measures on the Management of Medical Institutions in the form of Sino-foreign Equity or Contractual Joint Venture" (Decree of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Commerce No. 57 - Dec 2007) (in Chinese only)
- "Supplementary Provisions II to the Interim Measures on the Management of Medical Institutions in the form of Sino-foreign Equity or Contractual Joint Venture" (Decree of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Commerce No. 61 – Dec 2008) (in Chinese only)
- "Basic Standards for Medical Institutions (for Trial Implementation)" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 30 - Sep 1994) (in Chinese only)
- "Basic Standards of Clinics" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 75 - Aug 2010) (in Chinese only)
- Wholly-owned Hospitals
- HKSS filing an application for the setting up of wholly-owned hospitals shall be a legal person which can bear civil liability independently, and should have direct or indirect experience in the investment and management of medical and healthcare services. They should also be able to meet one of the following requirements:
- capable of providing advanced managerial experience, management approach and service model of medical institutions; or
- capable of providing internationally leading medical technology.
- Wholly-owned hospitals set up by HKSS in the Mainland shall meet the basic standards of tier 2 hospitals or above. The total investment for tier 3 hospitals should not be less than RMB 50 million, while the total investment for tier 2 hospitals should not be less than RMB 20 million.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Interim Administrative Measures on Setting up Wholly-owned Hospitals by Hong Kong and Macao Service Suppliers in the Mainland" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 109 - Dec 2010) (in Chinese only)
- "Application Guide for Setting up Wholly-owned Hospitals by Hong Kong and Macao Service Suppliers" (Circular of the Department of Health of Guangdong Province No. 386 - May 2011) (in Chinese only)
- "Notification on Extending the Geographical Scope of the Setting up of Wholly-owned Hospitals by Hong Kong and Macao Service Suppliers in the Mainland" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 19 - Mar 2012) (in Chinese only)
- "Notification on Adjustment to the Examination and Approval Authority on the Setting up of Wholly-owned Hospitals by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Service Suppliers in the Mainland " (Circular of National Health and Family Planning Commission No. 37 - Dec 2013) (in Chinese only)
- HKSS filing an application for the setting up of wholly-owned hospitals shall be a legal person which can bear civil liability independently, and should have direct or indirect experience in the investment and management of medical and healthcare services. They should also be able to meet one of the following requirements:
- Wholly-owned Convalescent Hospitals
- For HKSS filing an application for the setting up of a wholly-owned convalescent hospital to provide medical services, please also refer to the "Interim Administrative Measures on the Setting up of Wholly-owned Hospitals by Hong Kong and Macao Service Suppliers in the Mainland" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 109 - Dec 2010) (in Chinese only).
- Outpatient Clinics
- For HKSS filing an application for the setting up of an outpatient clinic in Guangdong Province, please also refer to the "Implementation Details for Setting Up of Outpatient Clinics by Hong Kong/Macao Service Suppliers (Provisional)" (Circular of the Department of Health of Guangdong Province No. 31 - Mar 2009) (in Chinese only).
- Solo Clinics
- HKSS filing an application for the setting up of a solo clinic in the Mainland shall obtain the "Medical Practitioner's Qualification Certificate" (in clinical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine or dental medicine) of the Mainland and meet one of the following requirements:
- having the legal right to practise medicine in Hong Kong, and having been practising medicine in Hong Kong for 5 full years, or having been practising medicine in Hong Kong and Macao for 5 full consecutive years; or
- having been doing clinical work of the same specialty in the Mainland for 5 consecutive years or more.
- When HKSS establish a solo clinic, the specialty that they applied for must be in line with the scope that they have been practising in Hong Kong or the Mainland. Each HKSS may only operate 1 solo clinic in the Mainland; he/she shall wholly-own the clinic and be the person-in-charge of the clinic.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Notification on the Implementation of Supplement IV to CEPA between Mainland and Hong Kong/Macao in relation to Medical Services" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 303 - Dec 2007) (in Chinese only)
- "Guidelines Concerning Further Liberalising the Registration Administration of Individually Owned Stores set up in the Mainland by Hong Kong and Macao Residents" (Circular of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (2016) No. 99 - May 2016) (in Chinese only)
- HKSS filing an application for the setting up of a solo clinic in the Mainland shall obtain the "Medical Practitioner's Qualification Certificate" (in clinical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine or dental medicine) of the Mainland and meet one of the following requirements:
- Measure of using Hong Kong registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
- Designated healthcare institutions operating in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are allowed to use Hong Kong-registered drugs with urgent clinical use, and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals with urgent clinical use, subject to the approval of Guangdong Province. For details, please refer to:
- "Work Plan for Regulatory Innovation and Development of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" (Circular of the National Medical Products Administration No. 159 - Sep 2020)(in Chinese only)
- "Guangdong Province - Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Interim Regulations on the Administration of Imported Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices for Urgent Clinical Needs in China" (Aug 2021) (in Chinese only).
- Designated healthcare institutions operating in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are allowed to use Hong Kong-registered drugs with urgent clinical use, and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals with urgent clinical use, subject to the approval of Guangdong Province. For details, please refer to:
Healthcare Professionals
- Short-Term Practice
- Statutory healthcare professionals (12 categories, including Medical Practitioners, Chinese Medical Practitioners, Dentists, Pharmacists, Nurses, Midwives, Medical Laboratory Technicians, Occupational Therapists, Optometrists, Radiographers, Physiotherapists and Chiropractors) who are registered to practise in Hong Kong may provide short-term services in the Mainland. The maximum duration of the short-term practice is three years. On expiry, new application procedures should be made for renewing the short-term practice. Hong Kong permanent residents who are legally eligible to practise western medicine, dentistry and Chinese medicine in Hong Kong are not required to sit the Mainland's qualification examination for the purpose of short-term practice in the Mainland.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Notification on Provisional Administrative Measures for Hong Kong and Macao Healthcare Professionals Providing Short-term Services in the Mainland" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 106 - Dec 2010) (in Chinese only)
- "Provisions on the Administration of Short-term Practice of Medicine in the Mainland by Medical Practitioners from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions" (Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 62 - Dec 2008) (in Chinese only)
- "Notification on Promotion and Regulation of Medical Practitioners Practising in Multi-locations by the National Health and Family Planning Commission and Other Ministries" (Circular of the Department of Health of Guangdong Province No. 262 - Mar 2015) (in Chinese only)
- "Notice to Hong Kong Medical Practitioner on the Requirements for Certificate of No Criminal Conviction during Applications for Mainland's Medical Practitioner's Qualification Certificates and Registration" (Circular of the Ministry of Health - May 2009) (in Chinese only)
- Qualification Examinations for Medical Practitioners
- Eligible Hong Kong permanent residents may apply to sit the Mainland's Qualification Examinations for Medical Practitioners in clinical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine or dental medicine. A "Medical Practitioner's Qualification Certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Law of the People's Republic of China on Doctors" (August 2021) (in Chinese only)
- "Interim Provisions on National Examination for Qualification as a Doctor" (2018 Revision - Jun 2018) (in Chinese only)
- "Regulations on Entry Eligibility for Taking the National Examination for Qualification as a Doctor (2014 Revision)" (Circular of the National Health and Family Planning Commission No. 11 – Mar2014) (in Chinese only)
- "Notification on Implementation of the "Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement" and "Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement" Concerning Medical and Dental Services" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 333 - Nov 2003) (in Chinese only)
- "Notification on Questions Concerning Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Residents with Mainland's Medical Academic Qualifications to Apply to Take the National Examination for Qualification as a Doctor" (Circular of the Ministry of Health No. 249 - Sep 2001) (in Chinese only)
- "Measures on the Registration of Doctors" (Decree of the National Health and Family Planning Commission No. 13 - Feb 2017) (in Chinese only)
- Obtaining Medical Practitioner's Qualification through Accreditation
- Eligible Hong Kong permanent residents with Chinese citizenship who meet the requirements of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Doctors" and the related regulations may apply for and obtain the Mainland's "Medical Practitioner's Qualification Certificate" through accreditation.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Law of the People's Republic of China on Doctors" (August 2021) (in Chinese only)
- "Administrative Measures for Hong Kong and Macao Doctors to Obtain Mainland's Medical Practitioner's Qualification through Accreditation" (Circular of the Ministry of Health and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine No. 33 - Apr 2009) (in Chinese only)
- "Notification on Matters relating to the Handling of Hong Kong Doctors' Applications for the Mainland's "Medical Practitioner's Qualification Certificate"" (Circular of the Ministry of Health and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine No. 85 - May 2010) (in Chinese only)
- "Measures on the Registration of Doctors" (Decree of the National Health and Family Planning Commission No. 13 - Feb 2017) (in Chinese only)
- "Notice to Hong Kong Medical Practitioner on the Requirements for Certificate of No Criminal Conviction during Applications for Mainland's Medical Practitioner's Qualification Certificates and Registration" (Circular of the Ministry of Health - May 2009) (in Chinese only)
- Licensed Pharmacist
- Hong Kong permanent residents who are licensed Hong Kong pharmacists and who fulfil the application criteria may apply to sit the Mainland's licensed pharmacists qualification examination. A "licensed pharmacist's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Regulation on the Professional Qualification System for Licensed Pharmacists" (Circular of the National Medical Products Administration No. 12 - March 2019) (in Chinese only)
- "Measures for the Administration of Registration of Licensed Pharmacists" (Circular of the National Medical Products Administration No. 36 - June 2021) (in Chinese only)
- Licensed Veterinarians
- Eligible Hong Kong residents may apply to sit the Mainland's qualification examination for veterinary practitioners. A corresponding qualification certificate will be issued to those who pass the examination.
- For details, please refer to:
- "Administrative Measures on Qualification Examination for Licensed Veterinarians" (Circular of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs No. 617 - Nov 2022) (in Chinese only)
- "Administrative Measures on Licensed Veterinarians and Rural Veterinarians" (Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs No. 6 - Sep 2022) (in Chinese only)
For other details, please refer to :
- "Circular on Deepening the Reform of 'Separating Operating Permits and Business Licenses' to Further Boost the Vitality of Market Entities for Development" (May 2021) (in Chinese only)
- "Notice of the Office of the National Health Commission Regarding the Reform Measures of 'Separating Operating Permits and Business Licenses' in the Field of Occupational Health and Public Health Surveillance" (Jun 2021) (in Chinese only)
Enquiries concerning the application procedures and requirements for the provision of medical services in the Mainland can be directed to :
- The National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China
( Website: http://www.nhc.gov.cn ) - The National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China
( Website: http://www.natcm.gov.cn/ )