Corruption in hospitals
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07/26/2002
A crusade to try and break through the thick walls of bureaucracy, especially in the health area, is the nightmare which I have experienced first-hand in Shanghai, considered one of the country's most modern cities.After more than a year of investigation carried out by me and my lawyer, I and other witnesses have seen for ourselves how Shanghai's government departments perform their duties. The departments I have come across are Shanghai Second Medical University hospital in Baoshan, the Shanghai Health Department, the Shanghai Municipal Drug Administration, and Baoshan District Police Station, among others. Shanghai lacks a strictly enforced law that punishes - with severe consequences - people who break the law. Laws should provide patients and families with protection and peace of mind that the environment is safe, and cover their rights. I agree with Alan R. Duly ("Health and Safety rules vital", July 4) that either the surgeons who know what they are doing do not care, or the consequences to them are insignificant. I am sure everyone in their right mind would agree that during a major medical procedure, doctors or nurses must be present. But to my dismay, there were no medical staff present. When the needle used in the procedure fell out of the patient's abdomen onto the bed, all the doctor did was re-insert the needle in the abdomen. Is this what Alan R. Duly mentioned as a cultural way of life? Another cultural way of life appears to be the giving of red packets ("ang-pow") and expensive gifts to doctors and nurses to enjoy medical facilities and privileges. Surely such unethical practices must be stopped. All the above are experiences encountered by my family in Shanghai. To come face to face with medical malpractice leading to the patient's demise, I could not believe that a certain hospital in Shanghai could deny wrongdoing. Doctors at hospitals in Shanghai and other parts of China treat patients - especially patients who are dying from terminal illnesses - not as human beings made of flesh and blood and spirit, but as rubbish. The quality of treatment depends wholly on the social and financial status of the patient's family. Although the matter was taken to all respective and relevant departments, the end result was one department passing the buck to another
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