The medical institutions may charge costs of production when photocopying or reproducing case history materials as per the requirement of patients. The specific rate of charge shall be formulated by the departments in charge of price affairs under the people’s government of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government jointly together with the administrative departments of health.

　　Article 11 In the activities of medical treatment, medical institutions and the staff members thereof shall inform the patients truthfully of the state of illness, measures of medical treatment, medical risks, etc., and shall give answers to their inquiries in a timely way unless, however, unfavorable consequences may happen to the patient concerned.

　　Article 12 Medical institutions shall make preventive plans for avoiding and handling medical accidents so as to avoid the occurrence of medical accidents and mitigate the injuries of medical accidents.

　　Article 13 Where any medical worker incurs or finds, in medical treatment activities, medical accidents or negligent medical acts that may lead to medical accidents or medical treatment disputes, he shall report to the person-in-charge of the section where he works immediately, and the person-in-charge shall report in turn to the department in charge of quality control or the full-time (or part-time) person of the medical institution in a timely way. The department in charge of quality control or the full-time (or part-time) person shall, after receiving the report, make immediate investigations and verifications, report the result truthfully to the person-in-charge of the medical institution, and inform explain to the patients concerned.

　　Article 14 In case any medical accident occurs, the medical institutions shall report to the local administrative department of health.

　　In case any of the following serious medical negligent acts occurs, the medical institution concerned shall report to the local administrative department of health within 12 hours:

　　(1) those that have incurred the death of patients or that may be a Grade II medical accident of above;

　　(2) those that have incurred personal injury to three persons or more;

　　(3) other circumstances as provided by the department under the State Council in charge of health or the administrative department of health under the people’s government of the provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government.

　　Article 15 In case any negligent medical act occurs or is found, the medical institution and the medical workers thereof shall take immediate and effective measures so as to avoid or mitigate the injuries done to the body of the patients and to prevent the deterioration of the injuries.

　　Article 16 In case any medical treatment dispute arises, the minutes of discussing deaths, minutes of discussing difficult and complicated cases, the records of looking over wards by doctors at higher levels, opinions of consultations, and the records of the course of diseases shall be sealed and opened when both parties to the dispute are present at the scene. The case history materials that are sealed may be photocopies, and shall be kept by the medical institution concerned.

　　Article 17 In case unfavorable consequences seem to be caused by fluid infusion, blood transfusion, injection, medicines, etc., both parties to the dispute shall seal up and open the material objects jointly at the scene, and the material objects shall be kept by the medical institution concerned. Where any test is needed, the test shall be done by the eligible testing institution that has been jointly designated by both parties. If both parties cannot make a joint designation, the administrative department of health shall designate the testing institution.

　　In case unfavorable consequences seem to be caused by blood transfusion and the blood needs to be sealed up for keeping, the medical institution shall inform the blood collecting and providing institution that has provided the blood to be present at the scene.

　　Article 18 Where any patient dies, and both the medical institution and the relatives of the patient cannot determine the cause or they have different ideas about the cause, an autopsy shall be made within 48 hours after the patient dies. Where there are facilities for freezing the corpse, the time limit may be extended to seven days. The autopsy shall be subject to the consent of the close relative of the patient by way of affixing his or her signature.

　　The autopsy shall be done by the institution that has obtained corresponding qualifications according to the relevant provisions of the State and the professionals majoring in pathological anatomy. The institution and professionals of pathological anatomy that make the autopsy shall be under the obligation of making autopsies.

　　Both parties to a medical dispute may invite legal medical experts and pathological experts to participate in the autopsy; they may also delegate persons to observe the process of autopsy. Any one who refuses to make or delays the autopsy until the time limit expires and the determination of the cause of death is affected, the party that refuses or delays shall be held to be responsible.