Solving the doctor-patient standoff

First Person | Wang Yifang

Wang Yifang, professor at Peking University Health Science Center

Every year, medical institutions nationwide provide services to more than 2 billion people, so even if 99 percent of them are satisfied with the service, that still leaves 1 percent, or 20 million people, who are dissatisfied. The government has called on people from all walks of life to help solve this problem.

I think poor doctor-patient relationships are caused by our profit-centered health system. Many hospitals are forced to fund themselves, and in order to unload the financial burden from the healthcare industry, many local governments will allow hospitals to do anything that will make money, and the supervisory systems aren't strict enough. As a result, we've seen doctors prescribe expensive medicines for minor illnesses, repeatedly conduct unnecessary check-ups, accept "red envelopes" (cash bribes), and, worst of all, adopt a "no money, no treatment" attitude. The industrialization of our medical services has led to apathy and a poor sense of service, so it's no surprise that we now have this very tense relationship between doctors and patients.

Wang Yifang spoke with Zhang Lei.