Closing loopholes in rule can cure the ills of hospital subcontracting

THERE HAS BEEN A PUBLIC OUTCRY over public hospitals subcontracting their departments to unqualified "medical staff" after the death of college student Wei Zexi, who was charged for an expensive experimental treatment at a subcontracted department of a public hospital in Beijing. Beijing Youth Daily on Thursday made the following comments:

After the scandal happened, the Beijing health authorities said they welcomed complaints from residents about the subcontracting of departments by public hospitals.

By doing so, the authorities are trying to recover the public trust that they have lost.

But merely welcoming such complaints is far from enough. They need to strengthen regulation over hospital subcontracting too, because it is difficult for residents or patients to get all the information they need to make an informed decision on subcontracted treatments.

It has long been a practice among public hospitals to subcontract departments for profit; these subcontracted departments enjoy the reputation of the public hospitals but many actually employ unqualified staff and give patients "treatments" that are not as effective as promoted or have already been discredited. This is cheating the patients, because they visit these departments, thinking they are part of the hospital.

The law has long forbidden public hospitals from subcontracting departments, and a regulation of the State Council, China's Cabinet, last July repeated the ban. But some public hospitals have not stopped such practice. Some hospitals related to the army and armed police, especially, subcontract their departments, because they are not subject to the regulations covering civil medical facilities. But these hospitals also profit from the market.

Wei's death has finally prompted the health authorities to pay more attention to the practice of subcontracting by hospitals. But disciplinary penalties are far from enough; some subcontracted departments cheat patients for money and their illegal deeds should be investigated. That requires the police and the judiciary to seek out and punish those seeking to illegally profit from people's health.