(Yicai Global) Dec. 13 -- China has permitted online medical institutions to prescribe drugs and treatments to people with Covid-19, as the outpatient fever departments at brick-and-mortar hospitals struggle with soaring patient numbers.

The State Council’s expert group on Covid-19 medical treatment issued a notice on the latest policy adjustments yesterday that also encourages internet hospitals to deliver medicines to positive cases via eligible third parties.

Beijing’s hospitals have seen a rising number of influenza-like cases, Li Ang, a spokesperson for the city’s health commission, said at a press conference yesterday. The numbers attending fever clinics hit 22,000 on Dec. 11, 16 times that of a week earlier, Li said.

“It’s of great significance to allow internet hospitals to conduct initial diagnoses to avoid an overwhelming burden on medical resources in offline hospitals, as Covid is spreading rapidly,” Chen Qiulin, deputy director of the Health Industry Development Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Yicai Global.

Beijing has 44 internet hospitals and 167 online medical services providers, according to Li.

It is the first time that the country has allowed these institutions to make out prescriptions without doctors visiting the patients in person, said Wang Hang, chief executive of online medical services platform Haodaifu. It is also a major innovation and breakthrough by regulators to adapt to the current situation, he added.

Internet hospitals could not conduct initial diagnoses for patients before, Chen said. They could only make out prescriptions according to their medical history or diagnosis by doctors at a physical hospital.

Though the policy is intended for emergencies, the online healthcare sector is expected to make good use of it and note how many people turn to them for initial diagnoses, Chen added, saying that the situation will promote the industry’s long-term development if it works well.

Internet hospitals could also explore the possibility of making initial diagnoses for other diseases, such as those in dermatology or psychiatry, to ease the pressure on brick-and-mortar hospitals, Chen suggested.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione