OPINION / VIEWPOINT
Missing kidney hoax adds to hospital tensions
Published: May 14, 2016 12:13 AM

Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT



 Liu Yongwei, a farmer from East China's Anhui Province, finally knows where his allegedly missing right kidney is. According to a statement issued by an investigation team on Tuesday, the kidney that Liu claimed mysteriously went missing after he underwent a chest surgery, is right where it should be - albeit, "displaced, deformed and atrophied by injuries."

Liu had the chest surgery in a Xuzhou hospital last June following a traffic accident. He told the media that he suffered multiple fractures and injuries in the chest and had a surgery to replace the organs to their right positions. The doctor, according to his own account, took out his right kidney that was crushed into his chest by the accident during the surgery, but put it back after identifying the organ as undamaged. However, when he went to another hospital for further treatment, doctors there couldn't see his right kidney in CT scans.  

The story caused quite a stir among public opinion after it came under the spotlight of the media. A cascade of criticism has been poured on the hospital, with speculations swirling that the doctor mistakenly stripped the poor farmer of his kidney. Some even claimed that the hospital was illegally selling Liu's organs. Worse, there were also some radical netizens saying if they were Liu, they would kidnap the surgeon and torture him to find out the kidney's whereabouts.

Ordinary people without professional medical knowledge are unable to understand why a kidney atrophied after a chest surgery. This naturally led to suspicion, and requires clarifications from doctors to disperse misunderstanding. However, a horrific trend is that every time there is a controversy related to doctors and patients, the  doctor is often demonized, for patients are naturally considered to be in the disadvantageous position in the doctor-patient relationship.

China's medical system has been plagued by many problems. The failure to fundamentally solve the problem of affordability and cost, coupled with the declining ethics of doctors, aggravates tensions between patients and healthcare providers and fuels prejudice against doctors, which has even led to increasing violence against medical staff. Chinese media last month reported at least 13 incidents involving violence against doctors. The latest example of the dangers medical staff face is Chen Zhongwei, a retired dentist, who was stabbed to death by a former patient enraged by his discolored teeth.

 Further deepening medical reform is the fundamental solution to patient-doctor tensions. However, it's not the sole responsibility of the healthcare authorities. Sensational hype targeting doctors is partly to blame for the deteriorating doctor-patient relations in China today. It's the responsibility of the whole society to reshape the image of doctors.

In most Western countries, being a doctor is a profession that guarantees prestige, high salaries, respect and pride. But in contrast, doctors in China are badly paid, with some supplementing their low incomes in ways that strengthen popular impressions that they are corrupt. They bear the divine mission of healing the wounded and rescuing the dying, but also the pressure of life-and-death situations and the high expectations of patients. Doctors should be treated with respect, rationality and tolerance rather than prejudice. 

The doctor-patient confrontations are not a simple result of loopholes in China's governance, but is also caused by the public's loss of a sense of social responsibility. Given a strained doctor-patient relationship, the public as well as the media, in particular, should have the wisdom to stay calm  when there are medical controversies, avoiding stirring up more prejudice against doctors.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn