Chinese medical institutions urged to step up building of barrier-free environment

BEIJING -- Medical institutions in China should step up the development of a barrier-free environment and ensure that people with disabilities receive services with ease when they visit such institutions, according to a document released on Wednesday.

The document, jointly released by China's National Health Commission and the China Disabled Persons' Federation, listed a number of measures for medical institutions to follow.

Medical institutions should set up barrier-free signs and accessible parking spaces that fit relevant standards, read the document. It also necessitated setting up lower counters intended for certain groups of people with disabilities, such as wheelchair users.

The document also requires medical institutions to equip self-service devices with barrier-free functions, such as voice-assisted text reading or large fonts, or to retain traditional service methods such as on-site assistance or manual service, in order to provide greater convenience to patients with disabilities.