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Many studies show that people in China tend to visit big hospitals and ask for IV drips even for minor ailments, unlike in India, where people tend to see local doctors first.
Videos circulating online show Chinese hospitals overwhelmed by the influx of patients. (News18 Hindi)
Shocking images from China that are reported to be linked to the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) have caused fear in the world, many are describing it as a resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Some videos circulating on social media show children looking weak, lying in hospital beds with intravenous drips (IV), surrounded by frightened parents. Other images show overcrowded hospital wards, long lines of patients, and medical staff wearing protective gear, adding to public alarm.
These distressing images remind us of the visuals from the Covid-19 pandemic. But the real story behind these scary pictures may be different. The truth lies in the diversity of Chinese health culture.
Many published studies show that Chinese people tend to visit major hospitals and ask for IV drips even for minor ailments, unlike in India, where people usually see local doctors first. This means that during the ongoing severe winter, when many diseases are circulating and infecting people, the major hospitals are overwhelmed and overwhelmed.
Let’s understand why the Chinese flock to major hospitals even for minor illnesses.
WHY DO OBJECTIVES SHOW HOSPITALS OVERSPENDING?
According to a Chinese study published in the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, the overall performance of public health centers (PHCs) in China remains unsatisfactory.
PHCs are the first point of contact for medical services in any country. Despite the Chinese government’s continued investment in PHC facilities over the past 10 years, patients are still concentrated in tertiary or large hospitals.
Published evidence shows that China’s health care system is “highly fragmented” due to poor coordination between primary, secondary and tertiary care. , coming out of big hospitals.
WHY CAN’T LOCAL DOCTORS GET A REST IN CHINA?
The daily rate of doctors treating patients in PHC centers is only one-fourth of that in tertiary hospitals. The Chinese study said: “A common problem that family doctors face is the lack of patient volume as a basic guarantee of health care provider capacity,” said the Chinese study.
Reports show that local PHC centers correctly diagnosed 44.11% of general patients with unstable angina and asthma in a developed city in China, with a correct treatment rate of only 24.19%.
Another study using patient data from Shanghai found that patients’ trust in family doctors is low, with only 25.3% of patients saying they have a high level of trust in their family doctor.
Therefore, large hospitals are quickly overwhelmed in China.
WHY ARE VISIONS SHOWING CHILDREN WHO ARE BEING TREATED?
Many unverified photos and videos from Chinese hospitals show elderly people and children admitted to hospitals being treated, mostly on IV drips.
Taking an IV drip is also a common practice in Chinese culture, several studies have shown. An article published in the medical journal BMJ by a Chinese liver surgery nurse showed that the country consumed 10.4 billion bottles in 2009 – an average of eight bottles per person. Other countries, on the contrary, rarely show consumption of up to 2.5 to 3 bottles per person.
It indicated that the overuse of injecting drugs is a “controversial topic” in China.
In an interview, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, who is the chairman-general of the National Indian Medical Association (IMA) COVID Task Force, shared the views of some Indian patients that many doctors can relate to. He talked about patients who insist on giving medicines and drips even when they are not medically necessary.
“There are many patients who ask doctors to give them medicine and ask for injections or multivitamins. These patients often doubt the doctor’s credibility if they are not given a prescription or are sent home empty-handed,” he explained. “In China, almost all patients are like this, they want drips for their children and feel they are not helped by the doctor. he denies.”
So, depending on unconfirmed images of overcrowded hospitals and young children receiving IV drips is not enough to cause panic or unnecessary alarm.