China sees an increase in the number of cases of hospital violence, where angry patients abuse medical staff. (Photo : Getty Images)
In an effort to eradicate violence in overcrowded hospitals, China is launching a year-long campaign that will particularly stamp out the fury of patients targeting medical staff, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
Since 2013, authorities have been adamant in initiating and sustaining campaigns that will discourage such kind of abuse. Nonetheless, the article noted that there are still at least 71,000 cases of conflict that required government's mediation.
Though many would be asking as to how the scheme will be plotted, Xinhua did not provide further details about the plan. What the publication provided is that the new campaign will be participated by a total of nine agencies. These groups will include the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Ministry of Public Security, among others.
For many years now, healthcare has become a focal issue in the country. People have been complaining on a wide range of issues, from long queues to consult to top-notch doctors to rampant corruption pushing up the costs of medical services.
Amid the continuous effort of the Chinese government--notably, the increased spending for the health sector--the country still frequently encounters issues, such as many hospitals getting overcrowded, corruption induced by low salaries and the staff's tendency to earn money by prescribing unnecessary drugs.The cases of hospital violence have also become alarming.
For instance, in 2015, a doctor and an injured patient died in an elevator shaft at a hospital in the eastern province of Hunan after they fought over the latter's treatment. The patient was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
The new campaign is expected to provide solution in eradicating this kind of violence.
