Who’s at Fault for China’s Precarious Doctor-Patient Relationship?

Doctor Chen Zhongwei died after a patient – unhappy with the treatment he had received from Dr. Chen years ago – stabbed him more than 30 times. Chen is only one of many doctors who suffered their unsatisfied patients’ wrath in the past few years. Doctors and patients should be on the same front fighting against diseases, but in China, they are fighting each other. The public sentiment over these tragedies has been striking: Nearly as many people sympathize with the killer as with the victim. This may be a consequence of China’s broken health care system, which has created self-interested doctors and exploited patients. Social commentator Feng Qingyang, publishing on Sohu.com, discusses the problems that led to the current state of the doctor-patient relationship and urges the government to take action. getAbstract recommends this summary to people interested in learning how health care works and doesn’t work in China.