Publié le · Senegal

China Sets First National Standard for Paid Medical Accompaniment Services, Effective November 1

China's new national standard GB/T 47801-2026 regulates socialized medical accompaniment services, clarifying who may provide them, what tasks are permitted, and what is prohibited. Here is what foreign founders operating in China's healthcare-adjacent service sector should know.

A New Framework for an Emerging Service Sector

China's State Administration for Market Regulation has approved a national standard titled Basic Requirements for Socialized Medical Accompaniment Services (GB/T 47801-2026), which takes effect on November 1. The standard, reported by People's Daily, establishes a service framework covering service providers, service content, and service procedures for the emerging business of accompanying patients to medical appointments.

The sector grew in response to practical difficulties: elderly patients navigating large hospitals alone, and out-of-town patients unfamiliar with major urban medical facilities. Without service standards, the industry has faced unclear boundaries and uneven service quality. For foreign founders building businesses around healthcare support services in China, the standard is a useful signal of how regulators intend to structure this market.

Who May Provide Socialized Accompaniment Services

Under the new standard, the provider of socialized medical accompaniment services is defined as an institution, not an individual freelancer. The institution's accompaniment staff — referred to as accompaniment workers — deliver services directly to service recipients.

Service recipients are defined as people who face difficulties accessing medical care due to mobility, cognitive, or geographic differences, or individuals seeking a better medical experience. Institutions may earn revenue by providing these services.

Accompaniment workers are expected to possess basic accompaniment knowledge and professional conduct. Deng Yong, a professor and doctoral supervisor in the law department at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, offered a practitioner's view of the required competencies: workers should understand the medical visit process, basic medical terminology, and emergency response common sense, and be able to accurately relay a patient's condition. They should strictly observe compliance boundaries — never reselling appointment slots or promoting medicines — and demonstrate patience and empathy in reassuring patients.

Key Takeaway for Founders

Because the standard frames the provider as an institution, foreign founders considering this space should plan for a corporate entity structure and formal employment or contracting arrangements for staff, rather than a platform-only or individual-booking model.

Permitted Service Content

With the consent of the service recipient or their legal guardian, accompaniment workers may carry out a defined set of tasks. According to the source, these include:

• Queuing to collect appointment numbers, booking examinations, and preparing for examinations;
• Purchasing or collecting basic medical supplies such as wheelchairs, caregiver beds, and disposable masks;
• Guiding recipients to designated areas, such as consultation departments, examination rooms, or treatment areas;
• Delivering samples for testing, collecting medicines and examination results, recording medical instructions, and collecting or photocopying medical documents such as medical records and diagnostic certificates;
• Handling hospital admission and discharge procedures and making payments;
• Providing daily living assistance during visits, such as booking transportation and meals, and temporarily storing belongings;
• Offering emotional support during the medical visit.

These delineated tasks give founders a clearer scope for designing service packages, training curricula, and staff responsibilities. Services outside this list should be treated cautiously.

Prohibited Activities and Boundaries

The standard draws a firm line between accompaniment and medical practice. Accompaniment workers are not medical personnel. They may not interpret examination results, participate in medical procedures, provide medical advice, or adjust a recipient's medication regimen. They may not choose or consent to treatment plans on behalf of the recipient or family members. They may not conceal, tamper with, or selectively relay key medical information about the recipient. They also may not sign legally binding medical documents on the recipient's behalf.

For founders, these prohibitions define compliance risk areas. Staff training, contracts, and internal policies should explicitly address these limits, and marketing should avoid implying that accompaniment workers offer medical judgment.

Hospital Management and Regulatory Oversight

Deng Yong suggested that hospitals strengthen management of accompaniment workers by exploring a mechanism of admission filing, conduct control, and public supervision. Specific suggestions include:

• Establishing a unified admission channel for accompaniment workers, verifying identity and criminal record status, and issuing temporary access credentials;
• Requiring third-party institutions and individuals to file records, and explicitly prohibiting soliciting business in consultation rooms or registration areas;
• Publicly displaying the list of legitimate accompaniment services and complaint hotlines in outpatient halls;
• Working with industry associations on pre-job training and awarding a hospital-recognized service mark to those who pass assessment.

The source also notes that relevant authorities should strengthen supervision and explore a multi-department joint enforcement mechanism involving market regulation, public security, and health authorities to investigate and handle illegal conduct such as price fraud and unlicensed operation.

Practical Implications for Foreign Founders

Foreign founders operating in China's healthcare-adjacent service sectors should note several practical points. First, institutional status matters: the standard places responsibility on the institution, so governance, staff vetting, and record-keeping systems should be built accordingly. Second, hospital-level rules may vary — founders should anticipate that individual hospitals may require filing, identity verification, or training certification before granting access. Third, pricing and licensing compliance are explicitly flagged as enforcement priorities, so transparent pricing and proper business registration are essential.

Founders should also monitor how local market regulation, public security, and health authorities implement joint enforcement, as operational requirements may differ by locality. The standard is a national framework, and implementation details will develop over time.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Call to action: Foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for help registering and operating a company in China.