Harry Yi-Jui Wu, Deep reflection needed on China’s medical-help-seeking culture
On Nov 7, 2012, the South People —regarded as the most independent and outspoken news paper in mainland China—published an article entitled “Sha yi” (“Killing the doctor”), exploring an incident in which a junior doctor was stabbed to death by a 17-year-old patient.
The teenage killer seemed determined to slay anyone in a white coat. Although his actions were extreme, his case is only one among many examples of despair caused by the repeated frustrations of having to travel long distances for basic primary care, and placement of unrealistically high hopes on the available services.
Scholars have commented extensively on the effect of migration on the health-care system, claiming that increased urbanisation in China has led to the exclusion of migrants in urban areas and the abandonment of populations in rural regions.
Relatively little is known about the number of patients who bypass the available primary care at home and travel to cities looking for better
medical care. In China, the unequal distribution of medical resources is severe; however, is it not so severe as to force the majority of patients
to seek health care afar. There is, nonetheless, a common belief that services at home are not making them better. Reads more on
The Lancet vol. 381 Janurary 2013
Yi-Ren Liu, Ji-Chun Zhao (2013), Patients in China face crisis
Patients in China face crisis. In recent years, Chinese hospitals have seen numerous violent incidents perpetrated by patients on medical staff.
Such events have had negative effects on other patients.
On Oct 25, 2012, a pregnant woman whose unborn baby had died was refused admission by four hospitals in Yunnan province because doctors
were afraid of being attacked or sued. Many patients and media in China have expressed their anger Reads more on
The Lancet vol. 381 Janurary 2013
Jacqueline Nivard, Centre d'études sur la Chine moderne et contemporaine
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China allows foreign-owned hospitals in more cities
