Shanghai will include online medical services in the public health care insurance system on a trial basis amid efforts in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Cao Junshan, deputy director of Shanghai’s Healthcare Security Administration, told a Sunday press conference that costs of subsequent medical services provided via Internet by designated hospitals to contracted patients of common diseases and chronic diseases will be partly paid for by medical insurance and patients can pay the rest online. The prices and rates of payments by insurance will be the same with those provided offline. Medical institutions can hire qualified third-party organizations to deliver prescribed medicines to patients.

On February 4, the administration announced that treatment of coronavirus patients and suspected cases would be covered by healthcare insurance and fiscal funds.

The new measures announced on Sunday include one to increase insurance budgets for hospitals to speed up treatment for patients.

The administration encourages institutions to use new technologies and will speed up their price assessment so that new technologies can be put into use and benefit patients as soon as possible.