It was a busy day, and then I suddenly saw the news about Dr. Ning Fanggang from Jishuitan Hospital getting into a physical altercation with a patient. My heart skipped a beat — why does it seem like there’s never a peaceful day lately?
Ning Fanggang is a fellow Shandong native. He used to be a staunch anti-TCM crusader, but after the famous pulse-diagnosis challenge, he honorably accepted his loss and never badmouthed traditional Chinese medicine again. That takes character.
The media coverage of this incident was deeply problematic. Reports highlighted descriptions like “the doctor raised hemostatic forceps as if to stab the patient during the argument,” while saying nothing about the patient’s behavior. This is classic biased journalism at its worst.
As of now, there have been no follow-up reports, so the full truth remains unknown.
Doctor-patient conflicts are relatively rare in TCM departments, after all. Those who genuinely study and understand Chinese medicine tend to have even tempers and measured patience. I personally greet every patient at the door and see them out when they leave. Speak to people properly, explain things clearly, and many conflicts simply never arise.
However, at many general hospitals in Beijing — especially large ones like Jishuitan — maintaining harmony is far more difficult. The outpatient volume is staggering, busier than a farmers’ market. In such an environment, even doctors can lose their patience, and all sorts of incidents can happen. I once interned at a famous specialist clinic in a renowned hospital, and I saw it firsthand: patients were impatient, frustrated with doctors and hospitals, and many felt they’d been treated unfairly. In that kind of atmosphere, if a healthcare worker acts arrogant or dismissive — with an “take it or leave it” attitude — it’s particularly infuriating. I’ve always believed in putting myself in the patient’s shoes and solving problems from their perspective, which is why most of my patients genuinely liked me.
What’s critically important is that over the years, I’ve also frequently been a patient or a family member accompanying someone to the hospital. I deeply understand what patients and their families feel during those unhappy moments. Unfortunately, many doctors from major hospitals, precisely because they control vast resources, have never experienced what it’s like to be an ordinary patient navigating the healthcare system — and they end up doing things that are truly maddening.
But regardless of the circumstances, physical brawling is condemnable. Two against one is particularly unfair. When it comes to verbal abuse and fistfights, healthcare workers are actually the vulnerable ones.
I’ve thought about the doctor-patient conflict problem for a long time, and here are a few solutions I’ve come up with:
1. Dismantle the authority-based system of public hospitals and cultivate individual doctor brands. Guide patients to choose their doctor, not just their hospital.
2. Establish genuine professional authority for doctors. Abolish the marketization of the medical system, substantially improve healthcare workers’ compensation, respect the value of knowledge and skill, and ensure transparent, above-board income.
3. Tier-3 hospitals should completely phase out general outpatient services. Senior doctors should run specialty clinics, while junior doctors should rotate to lower-level hospitals for outpatient care.
4. Zero tolerance for violent medical disputes.
5. Standardize clinical protocols and strengthen oversight functions.
6. Strengthen the legal framework and the rule of law. When there’s a problem, take it to the hospital administration — don’t target the doctor personally. (This is the hardest change to achieve.)
I sincerely hope that China’s medical environment improves as soon as possible!
中文原文 / Chinese Original
今天一天都很忙，突然看到积水潭医院宁方刚医生与患者互殴的新闻，心中一惊，怎么天天这么不太平。
宁方刚是山东老乡，曾经是坚定的反中医者，自从中医验脉事件后，愿赌服输，再也不黑中医，也算是讲义气。
此事媒体报道很有问题，新闻中突出了”争执过程中医生举起止血钳要扎患者”等此类的描述，而对患方的行为不做报道，属于典型的有导向型新闻，非常糟糕。
目前，没有任何后续报道，不知事实真相究竟如何。
医患矛盾问题在我们中医科室并不常见，毕竟能好好学中医、懂中医的医生脾气都不会太坏，也不会太急躁，我对患者都是进门迎接，出门相送的，好好跟人说话，把问题解释清楚了，很多矛盾都不会发生。
不过，在北京的很多综合性医院，尤其是像积水潭医院这样的大型医院就很难保证和谐，因为这些医院门诊量太大，比菜市场还热闹，医生在这种环境下也会缺乏耐心，保不齐会出现什么情况。我也曾在著名医院的知名专家门诊实习过一段时间，患者有急躁情绪不假，对医生医院有意见有看法不假，认为自己受到不公平待遇的也有很多，在这种情况下，如果医务工作者胡乱耍威风，摆出一副爱看不看的样子来就特别招人讨厌，我向来都奉行换位思考，设身处地地为患者解决问题，所以来来就诊的患者大多很喜欢我。
非常重要的是，这些年我也经常作为病人家属或者病人去医院就诊过，我非常理解病人和家属这时（不高兴）的想法，但是很可惜，许多大医院出身的医生由于掌握了大量的资源，体会不到作为一名普通患者在医院里的心路历程，就会做出许多非常让人恼火的事情。
但无论怎么说，互殴这种事都是应该被谴责的，两个打一个还是很不公平的，在骂人打架这个问题上，医务工作者属于弱势群体。
医患矛盾的问题我思考过很久，想出了这么几个解决方法：
1、破除公立医院权威制，建立医生个人品牌，努力引导患者就医时选择的是医生而不是医院。
2、树立医生权威性，废除医疗体系市场化制度，大幅度提高医务人员待遇，尊重知识技术价值，实现阳光收入。
3、三级医院全面停止普通门诊服务，高年资医生开设特需门诊，低年资医生流动到下级医院门诊。
4、恶性医闹零容忍。
5、规范的诊疗制度和监督职能。
6、健全的法律制度和法治意识，有问题找医院不要找医生（最难改变）。
希望国内的医疗环境早日改善！
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