An essential medical guide

"It now all depends on the honor of the clients."

Wang Hui, an operation manager of a medical guide service company in Hefei, Anhui province, believes the intelligent medical services can be difficult for some elderly people when seeking medical treatment.

Changes in family structure and the accelerating aging of the population, as well as the increasing need for better medical treatment in first-tier cities have increased demand for medical guide services, according to Wang.

Song Yu, a research assistant at the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says the demand for these services is real, and hospitals have set up guide desks or provided guidance for newly admitted patients.

Song suggests medical service facilities offer professional training to related personnel to strengthen management and help avoid conflicts between medical guides and patients.

Wang Yunfei, associate professor at Anhui University's School of Sociology and Political Science, urges authorities to issue guiding documents to regulate the entry threshold, medical guide service content and fees.

Wang Yunfei also recommends both parties sign a contract to clarify their rights and obligations.

Being a medical guide has exposed Han to some of his customers' weakest moments, when they went through pain and life-or-death choices and faced pressure and had to deal with their fate.

Some patients might have a panic attack and can't make sense of the doctor's words, so Han has to comfort them like family while noting down the diagnosis.

Some young people have to work and can't make time to go to the hospital to get their test results, and therefore seek Han's service.

When Han gets some bad medical reports for his customers, he has to think of ways to cushion the blow and propose suggestions before making the dreaded call.

Speaking about his future plans, Han says he would stick it out and continue to reach out more to those who need him.

In September, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission asked him to take part in a survey on the development of the medical-guide sector.

"It might be a sign of the country standardizing the profession, and that will be good news," he says.