By Huang Jingjing

A Beijing hospital will be the first to provide medical treatment to patients before they're required to pay the bill.

The move is part of a new effort to streamline the billing procedures in hospitals and cut down on the time patients spend in medical facilities standing in line.

"The Ministry of Health chose us as the first hospital to carry out the reform, and the plan is under preparation and will be carried out before the end of this year," Wang Shan, the president of the Peking University People's Hospital, told the Global Times.

He said the procedure would be backed up by an online information system.

Payment methods will vary, and patients would have the freedom to choose the option that fits them. Some would be required to hand in a certain amount of cash upfront while others would be allowed to settle their bills after being treated, he said.

"The pilot program aims to change the usual fussy service and find a new way to offer more convenient and simple ways to offer treatment," he said.

Zhao Minggang, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Medical Administration, said patients were expected to enjoy faster service. He offered no details or a timetable.

"Currently, patients have to pay before receiving every treatment, and they spend most of the time queuing for payment, which creates huge crowds in the hospitals," Zhao was quoted as saying by China National Radio yesterday.

Many people welcomed the change.

"Cash after the treatment will save time for patients. It will help them avoid missing the best treatment period and cut down on medical accidents," Fu Xiuxiang, a resident in Beijing, told the Global Times.

"Though the efforts came out a bit late, it's great that it will come true," said a woman surnamed Shao, another Beijing resident who has lived in Libya for two years.

She told the Global Times that compared with her experience with hospitals in Libya, the queuing at service windows in some hospitals in Beijing is tiring and annoying.

"But I think it's understandable since China has such a large population. It's making progress," she added.

However, some remain unhappy.

"I am sure the hospital will demand a large deposit before carrying out any treatment," Liu Xiang, a resident in Huaihua, Hunan Province, told the Global Times.

He said that it is the hospitals' duty to offer convenient services.

"However, medical staff's attitude is poor and the procedures to obtain treatment are fussy. I think if there is competition from foreign owned and managed hospitals in China, the situation would change greatly," he said.