“Hallway Doctor” Controversy: Mianyang Hospital Staff Strike

The most commented articles today on both of the following popular Chinese web portals involves the ongoing “Hallway Doctor” news story. Lan Yuefeng, the female doctor at the center of the controversy, suffered retribution from hospital administration and colleagues for refusing to provide what she considers “excessive treatment” (medically unnecessary treatment) to the hospital’s patients. Her nickname comes from her having lost her office as a result and being forced to sit in the hospital’s hallways while being largely ignored by other doctors and hospital staff.

From Sina & NetEase:

Medical Personnel at Hallway Doctor’s Hospital Go on Strike, Demands That She Be Fired

Sichuan Online – Mianyang Channel (Reporters Liu Chengyu, Zhou Nianci) This morning (19th) at 11am, over 100 medical personnel from “Hallway Doctor” Lan Yuefeng’s Mianyang City People’s Hospital walked onto the streets in strike, with over 500 people at the scene including onlookers, and traffic on Jiannan Road being obstructed.

As it is understood by these reporters from multiple sources, the reason medical personnel are striking is because they are unsatisfied with how the Lan Yuefeng incident was handled. Additional, on February 8th of this year, Mianyang health authorities had decided to strip the “Mianyang City People’s Hospital” name/brand [from the hospital], replacing it with “Fucheng District People’s Hospital”. The medical personnel on strike on the scene demanded that the authorities and the People’s Hospital dismiss/fire Lan Yuefeng and revoke the decision to change [the hospital’s] name.

At present, the medical personnel participating in the strike have been persuaded by police to move to the hospital’s outpatient hall, while hospital management and relevant Fucheng district government leaders are on the scene conducting talks. The various hospital departments all have doctors on duty, with no one in the inpatient department and emergency room absent from their posts. One hospital administrator engaged in talks said to these reporters, “we would never abandon the treatment of patients.”

At 11:30am, Mianyang city government’s Politics and Law Party Secretary Chen Xingchun arrived on the scene to engage in talks. In response to the medical personnel’s strike demands, he represented the municipal committee’s position: The hospital will keep the “Mianyang City People’s Hospital” name; the Fucheng district health department will conduct an investigation into the Lan Yuefeng incident (the relevant impact the incident has had upon the Mianyang City People’s Hospital); government authorities will strongly support the hospital being promoted to 3B status; they hope the medical personnel will use legal channels to satisfy their demands.

At 12:40pm, Mianyang city Deputy Mayor Jing Dazhong, the municipal health department, and the Fucheng district principal government leader met with the striking medical personnel in the 13th floor meeting room of the hospital’s outpatient department, listened attentively to their demands, and worked to explain and placate. Positions for the hospital’s various departments all had personnel manning them, with overall order returned to normal.

(Original headline: Portion of Medical Personnel at “Hospital Doctor” Lan Yuefeng’s Mianyang City People’s Hospital Go on Strike)

Comments from Sina:

八旗卍子弟[吉林白城]:

One person persevering in righteousness instead stirs up trouble for the hospital’s interests, and now that black-hearted [unscrupulous] money cannot be made, a strike is instigated. This absolutely must be deeply investigated.

十等公民1221[辽宁阜新]:

Look at what this hospital has changed; it has changed a bunch of doctors into a bunch of beasts/animals.

阿拉雷哥[北京]:

A person in the industry with a conscience being ostracized by a group of doctors in that industry without any conscience. I strongly demand that this hospital be shut down, and strip this group of people of their qualifications to practice in the industry.

收官网[上海]:

Support doctors who disregard their own personal gains and losses and instead concentrate on serving their patients.

tweeleaks二世[广东广州]:

Are these people hopelessly out of their minds [crazy, unreasonable]? Are these beasts fit to be doctors and nurses?

Comments from NetEase:

网易广东省东莞市手机网友 ip：14.156.*.*:

A doctor with a conscience is asked to be dismissed/fired, so those left over should be the beasts/animals. With that kind of medical ethics, how are people supposed to be at ease/have confidence in them? The culprit behind them must be ferreted out!

网易浙江省杭州市手机网友 ip：211.140.*.*:

Thoroughly corrupt. When the benefits [profiting] are shared and you don’t partake, then you can’t survive. This is why the corruption in healthcare is institutional and not just that of certain individuals. When you are amongst filth but don’t want to be sullied, this is the result, with the filth revolting.

网易天津市手机网友 ip：117.10.*.*:

Hehe, [she’s] delaying them in making money?

叫闻哥好了 [网易广东省手机网友]：

This hospital is rotten from head to toe.

网易云南省昆明市手机网友 ip：221.3.*.*:

Have them all shot/executed.