China's healthcare system needs fundamental reform

If the medical school has been unable to attract the most top students, if the doctor becomes the target of the attack and if the self-defense weapons become a must-have item for the hospital, then there must be something wrong. What worries people is that these conditions are spreading in the Mainland, and they are becoming more and more serious, endangering the health care system in the Mainland. The need to radically reform the medical system is self-evident.

After a doctor in a hospital in Beijing was strangled by a patient, it was reported that medical staff used knife or metal sticks to defend themselves. This may sound unbelievable, but it actually reflects the deplorable situation of the five million medical staff in the Mainland. According to the data from the Chinese Hospital Association, there are an average of 27 cases of attacks on medical personnel in mainland hospitals every year. Last year, seven doctors were killed for doctor-patient disputes and 28 doctors were injured.

In addition, 78% of the members of the Association stated that they are reluctant to allow their children to study medicine. There is not necessarily a direct link between these two sets of data, but the meaning is clear: Physicians are no longer a respected profession, and distrust and hostility towards doctors are growing.

The tendency of patients to attack health care workers is disturbing. The root cause of this phenomenon lies in the defects of the system: limited public resources, heavy workload, and inadequate insurance coverage. As public demand for quality of care increases, these deficiencies make the entire medical system even more overwhelmed.

According to previous reports, patients were rushed into the metropolitan hospitals for better treatment. However, due to the rigid medical system, medical staff were restricted from registering and practicing in only one hospital, forcing them to work outside the office as consultants during their spare time. The piles of cases to be treated are piled up and the deterioration of service quality is inevitable. The combination of excessive charges and the receipt of drug prescription rebates and other corrupt practices that violate professional ethics have added to the situation. If you cannot seek justice through legal means, those who resent you will use violence to retaliate. Because doctors fear retaliation, they often dare not perform the necessary high-risk surgery.

Without reform, the mainland medical system will be difficult to sustain. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee brought about the dawn of the reform of the medical system. This is necessary to stabilize the morale of medical staff and protect the safety of medical personnel.

Adequate funding for hospitals is a way to prevent the exploitation of medical staff. In addition, priority should be given to the development of the private medical industry. Taking into account the progress made in the Mainland, patients should receive better treatment.