Over the next five day, Dr. Begram, a British general practice educator, will arrive at the Liwan District Community Hospital to give lectures and advice on the provision of community health education and the creation and application of residents' health files.

The invitation of a foreign expert to advise on community medical services represents a new move by the district following its designation as a national demonstration district for community-oriented specialty Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Begram has been engaged in general practice for more than 20 years. Currently, he is an academic advisor for doctoral students at Britain's Royal College of General Practitioners.

Dr. Begram explains that, in Britain, all people establish a lifelong connection with a family practitioner, and all patients seek medical care at community clinics, which is in sharp contrast to the long queues in major hospitals in China.

According to Dr. Begram, in Britain, patients would first notify the doctor of their condition and symptoms by letter or phone and go to see the doctor after making an appointment; therefore, long queues are rare. British clinics tend to be small, with five to six general practitioners, with patients placing greater importance on the quality of medical services than on the size of a medical facility.

Dr. Begram believes that Chinese people's tendency to seek medical services at large hospitals adds to medical costs and that Chinese people should change their mindset in seeking medical care.
 
Editor: Yan