QR code playing bigger role for residents
Passengers are now able to take buses, the Metro and ferries by scanning a QR code on the Suishenban app.
Shanghai is to promote use of the health QR code in more areas of residents’ daily life, government officials said on Thursday.
The health code on the Suishenban app was launched in February as part of the prevention and control of COVID-19, a green pass for public areas such as airports, hospitals and office buildings.
With the support of big data technology, it has been upgraded with more functions over the past few months including medical services and special versions for enterprises and family members.
So far, the health code has been used for over 1.2 billion times by more than 34 million users. About 232,000 users are from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and abroad.
Zhao Qi, the government’s deputy secretary general, said that by the end of 2021, the QR code will be built as an integrated platform and open ecosystem with digital services in the fields of social governance, urban construction and transport, cultural tourism, judicial management, sports events, credit rights and more.
Suishenban has a protection mechanism to ensure user data security including a double security algorithm and dynamic QR code technology.
In May, Suishenban was connected with health registration for swimming pools, allowing residents to enter more quickly. Currently, it has been introduced at 155 swimming pools across the city.
In late July, the city’s transport commission has added the transport QR code to Suishenban, allowing travelers to take buses, the Metro and ferries using only one app.
Last month, Shanghai Library also enabled non-deposit lending services for users using Suishenban.
A patient at Zhongshan Hospital scans his health code to register.
Zhongshan Hospital in Xuhui District was among the first to use the health code to replace the traditional medical insurance card. Patients can use it to register, pay bills and get e-invoices on their smartphones instead of queuing up.
“The application of the health code in hospitals has greatly improved efficiency in my opinion. I don’t have to queue up for payment and other procedures but using the code instead, which has saved a lot of time for me,” said a patient surnamed Zhang.
According to the hospital, with both online payment and traditional cashiers, the average waiting time for each patient can be 30 minutes shorter than before.
Another patient surnamed Xu said that the health code is particularly convenient for unexpected visits to hospitals because people don’t normally carry their medical insurance cards with them, or if they can’t find their cards.
However, the wide application of the health code in hospitals has been challenged by older people who might not be as deft as their offspring with smart devices.
The hospital’s Zhang Xiong said: “The average age of patients at Zhongshan Hospital is about 68 years old, so the traditional physical card service is still necessary. Family members can pay for the elderly through related health codes, too.”
So far, a total of 140,000 patients at the hospital have used the online health code service for medical insurance.
