Hospitals in Beijing will recruit 1,500
"guardian angels" to protect their doctors from violent attacks by
patients.
In recent years, angry patients have killed a number
of Chinese doctors, often citing frustration at how they have been handled by
the healthcare system.
In the latest case, a 45-year-old man from Jiangsu
province stabbed his doctor to death on Tuesday because he was unhappy with a
circumcision operation. "(He) was dissatisfied with the treatment outcome
and the medical expenses," the state media reported.
Doctors and nurses in hospitals are violently
attacked every two weeks on average, the state media said, by patients angry at
long waiting times, high medical bills and haughty or uncaring doctors. Many
hospitals now have security officers on their premises.
The campaign in Beijing will recruit volunteer
students, medical staff and other patients to act as buffers between doctors
and patients, defusing arguments and smoothing tensions, suggested Xinhua, the
state news agency.
"Patients will understand doctors better after
talking with our volunteers," said Feng Guosheng, the head of the Beijing
Municipal Administration of Hospitals. He added that the "guardian
angels" would provide "hospital guidance" and
"psychological intervention".
He said 21 hospitals had already begun training the
volunteers and assigning them to patients. He added that hospitals should also
listen to the volunteers about any systemic problems they uncover.
Han Meng, a representative for the project, said it
would allow doctors and nurses to focus on their work without fear.
The government has promised to root out corruption
in the healthcare system, and the Health Ministry said in February it would
target patients who bribe doctors for better treatment.
In 2012, the Lancet, a medical journal, wrote that
"China's doctors are in crisis". A letter to the journal from a
Chinese medical student, Li Jie, said "the deteriorating relationship
between doctors and patients has turned medical practice in China into a
high-risk job".
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