Over 160 legal scholars and health experts, two days, one question: What kind of basic medical care should be legally guaranteed for China’s 1.3 billion citizens? The First Chinese-European Health Law Conference in Beijing on 21 and 22 May 2016 focused on the drafting of China’s Basic Health Care Law. The conference was co-organised by Tsinghua University Law School and the China-EU School of Law. It was supported by Paul Sabatier University, the China Health Law Society and the European Association of Health Law. Representatives from the World Health Organization, the Delegation of the European Union to China and Mongolia and of the Italian Embassy attended the conference.

What are the legislative consequences of the right to life, right to health and right to privacy in everyday medical care? Should Chinese patients have a right to confidentiality, informed consent and a second opinion from another doctor before treatment? What are the rules for organ donation and transplant? How should public hospitals be organised? How can China further improve health education, complex supply chains, medical technology and eHealth?

There was a long list of topics covered by more than 40 speakers from France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Hong Kong, Macao and the People’s Republic of China. Many stressed that Health Care Law is already well-established in European countries and introduced various models such as the French, British or northern European health care systems to the audience. They also referred to “The Declaration on the Promotion of Patients' Rights in Europe” which was adopted in 1994 and constitutes a common European framework for these actions.Facing complex challenges in China, most scholars at the conference agreed that Chinese health care research should be strengthened and that lawmakers in China should draw from the rich European legal experience for drafting the nation’s Basic Health Care Law to achieve the best medical care for the Chinese people.

Text by Susanne Sindermann and Ursula Zipperer

Photo by Health News