No PCR report required for outpatients, emergency
Doctors in hazmat suits serve a patient at a local fever clinic in Shanghai.
Shanghai's medical institutes will no longer check nucleic acid test results for outpatients from Tuesday to avert refusal or delayed treatment, according to the city's health commission.
No negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result will be required at either outpatients or emergency departments as part of the city's efforts to further optimize treatment procedure.
All medical facilities must take full responsibility for a patient's first diagnosis and strictly follow the rescue protocols for patients in emergency or with severe conditions, the commission said.
"It is strictly forbidden to shirk or delay treatment for any reason," it said in a statement released on Tuesday night.
Previously, medical institutes were among the last remaining local sites, including elderly care and child welfare institutes as well as schools and kindergartens, still requiring PCR test results.
