Wang Zhiguo (Economic Information Daily): By virtue of being privately owned, many for-profit hospitals have accumulated vast experience in providing high-end medical services. Public hospitals, however, should first strive to enhance basic healthcare for ordinary people in an affordable and accessible fashion, in lieu of catering to the whims of a few.

High-end services such as plastic surgery, special diets during hospitalization, and even on-site childcare in public hospitals have eaten up too many resources and only increase the difficulty of seeing a qualified doctor. Leave the "boutique healthcare" and special medical services to private clinics, and the public hospitals to those most in need.

Zhao Jiancheng (Beijing Business Today): While there is still no clear distinction between public and private hospitals' obligations, the question of whether to retain or phase out special medical services in public hospitals should be answered by market demand. At present, it's still too early to discontinue premium and special services and transfer the business elsewhere, due to the sheer volume of need.

As for private hospitals, the national medical insurance network has yet to cover them. In terms of clinical facilities and doctors' basic education and experience, private hospitals are still not capable of offering special medical services. This will change with the tide of medical reform and public demand.

Chen Qiguang (Beijing Business Today): Special medical services are a product of the legal commercialization of public hospitals. If canceled, they will result in major immediate economic losses for these hospitals, and will throw into question the amount of funding necessary to maintain a basic level of functionality. Medical industry reform hopes to redefine the responsibilities of both private and public hospitals, and to separate healthcare services from the sale of medicine in the latter. Such sales are also an important source of revenue for public hospitals.

Today, the government has to provide more financial support than ever for public medical needs due to the expansion of health insurance in public hospitals. If the profitable special medical services are removed from these hospitals, will the monetary subsidies provided by the government be sufficient to keep them functional and continue supporting the expanding insurance network?

Wu Shuai (Yanzhao Metropolis Daily): Not every institution or organization in a society should necessarily operate in commercial mode. Like government organs, public hospitals ought not to focus on profitability while making decisions, lest they price out the members of the public who most need their services.

For this reason, special medical services are certain to destroy social equality. Public hospitals are meant to provide equally priced medical services of even quality to all patients, whereas specialty treatment diverts public resources to serve a select few. Lured by huge profits, however, even a strong public backlash against special medical services cannot prevent public hospitals from instituting these programs.

Thus, recent years have seen the meteoric rise of special medical services in many public hospitals. In the Women and Children's Medical Center at the Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, those able and willing to pay 3,000 yuan ($484) a day for "five-star delivery room service" are also able to select the personal obstetrician most to their liking. Highly skilled doctors are already rare resources in public hospitals, yet special medical services make it even more difficult for ordinary people to get adequate treatment from practiced physicians.

To many, it's welcome news that public hospitals may no longer be offering VIP treatment following upcoming regulatory changes in the industry. Expensive special services should be the business of private hospitals only. Private healthcare institutions are better able, too, to compete with one another. They are able to advertise directly to the populace, offer better deals on elongated hospital stays, and are not required to treat thousands upon thousands of injuries and illnesses on a daily basis. For those with rare or chronic illnesses, private clinics can even provide more innovative or expensive treatments. But for the majority of the Chinese people, public hospitals need to be even-handed and readily accessible places. Regardless of income, we all need to visit the hospital sometimes.

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