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Source: Global Times ' \Z54$
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By Xing Daiqi in Shanghai %Ak"d+OH4
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After years of training in medical school, a young neurosurgeon does not get the orientation he expected on his first day. Instead of meeting challenges in the emergency room, he finds himself climbing through the windows in his office in order to avoid being beaten up by an anguishing patient's family. r 'wam]1Z
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As extreme as it may sound, this is the setting of best-selling Chinese writer Liuliu's new book, Xin Shu (Angel Heart). First gaining popularity while published online, Angel Heart is a fictional account of the lives of three young doctors in an attempt to explore the current questions and scandals surrounding doctor-patient relationships in China. kaQn
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"Like most other patients, I was suspicious of doctors. Do I bribe them with a red envelope to ensure we get proper treatment? How do I go about doing it and how do I know if I'm receiving the right medication?" writer Liuliu recalled of her first-hand experiences at Chinese hospitals in Shanghai. [H$rdh[+
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"Between my mother's bout with breast cancer and getting treatment for a broken arm, I've done a lot of lingering around hospitals," she explained. %?1k}(qUeY
After spending two years observing doctors in some of Shanghai's major medical facilities, Liuliu attempted to find a voice for the oft-accused doctors who, in a country of underdeveloped public healthcare where costs of medical treatment is on the rise, have been the focus of patient and media backlash. Q9=X|
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But patients are not the only ones dissatisfied. According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Health this year, only 7.4 percent of doctors rate their working environment as "good," 48.2 percent want to give up their medical career and 91.9 percent feel they are underpaid. fFudoIC
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Written in diary format, Liuliu's new book explores these grievances and how they affect mediacl profesionals working in the real world. [vV]lWOp'
The protagonist, Zheng Aiping, is an ambitious neurology physician trying to find his place in a premier hospital in a highly materialistic setting of Shanghai. d #cw`h<c~
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"Today, the director of hospital lecture about treating our patients like human beings with care and patience...What I wanted to tell the director is can you treat doctors as human beings as well?" Zheng writes in his diary. "This week, my longest sleep was only five hours…I can't guarantee I won't make any mistakes under that circumstances." `6koQZm
Tremendous physical and mental pressure compounded while feeling underappreciated often exacerbate tensions. k;/U6,LQ*
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"Patients often complain they have problems with their doctor's attitude," explains one doctor during interviews for Liuliu's story, "Sometimes, it's negligence; carelessness or doctors just don't explain things clearly. Other times, patients expectations of doctors are unrealistic." P#]% C
