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Alleged protest was a fundraiser, hospital says

China.org.cn, September 21, 2011

• Two red banners hanging in the otolaryngology department of Beijing Tongren Hospital were all the remnants of a reported incident at 9 a.m. on Monday, when doctors gathered outside while the hospital's operations were suspended for one hour.

  A red banner hangs in the otolaryngology department of Beijing Tongren Hospital on Sept. 20, 2011. The banner reads: "Sternly punish the murderer, give me back my dignity." [By Daniel Xu/China.org.cn]

  Banners displaying the slogans "Sternly punish the murderer, give me back my dignity" and "Pray for Dr. Xu Wen" were seen being taken down Tuesday morning as doctors and staff hurried past the scene. Xu, 43, a senior physician in the otolaryngology department, was stabbed 17 times on Sept. 16, allegedly by a disgruntled patient.

  Hospital spokeswoman Li Xinping said Monday's gathering was a "self-organized fundraiser" where hospital staff donated money and prayed for the doctor's speedy recovery.

  The hospital's website reported that Xu is no longer in critical condition. The suspect, 54-year-old Wang Baoming, allegedly was unhappy with a throat operation he received at the hospital. He is now in police custody.

  Beijing Tongren Hospital, which specializes in ophthalmology and otolaryngology, is one of the top medical institutions in China's capital, and enjoys high prestige throughout the country.

  Some of the doctors and staff working in the hospital's ear, nose and throat department Tuesday morning said they did not participate in the fundraiser; others said they did not know about a fundraiser or any other unusual activity. A few declined to comment.

  Varying accounts of Monday's incident have led to speculation in the media that the gathering was a protest against patients' lack of respect for healthcare professionals. According to reports, doctors and hospital staff in Beijing and other cities received text messages including the slogans used at Tongren Hospital.

  Some believed the messages led to an organized walkout at the hospital. As many as 150 doctors and staff marched through Tongren Hospital Monday while chanting the slogans and voicing displeasures about the high risk of them becoming victims of violence, the reports said.

  Li said the reports about doctors marching the halls in protest were erroneous rumors, and the hospital maintained normal operations throughout the morning. Fundraiser organizers did not first seek permission from the hospital management for holding the event, she said.

  Li said that some doctors and staff in the hospital who were not scheduled to work on Monday morning might not have known about the fundraiser. "The hospital operates 24 hours a day and we have many shifts," she said. "It is possible they were not at work yesterday and did not participate."

  She said the hospital will continue to improve its security, although it is hard to prevent a "sudden, vicious attack like this." The hospital is fully cooperating with the police investigation, Li said.

  According to a statement released by China's Ministry of Health on its website Sunday, both Minister Chen Zhu and the ministry's Party secretary Zhang Mao are highly concerned about the attack on Xu and strongly condemn violent crimes against medical professionals.

  The ministry's website also reported Zhang's visit of Xu in Tongren Hospital's ICU on Monday. Zhang directed those in charge to "devote all their power for Xu's treatments," the website said.

  Xu is the second doctor allegedly assaulted by a patient or a patient's family member in Beijing this month. Dr. Mu Xinlin, an oncologist with the Peking University People's Hospital, was beaten on Sept. 8 allegedly by the family member of a cancer patient. Mu received spinal injuries as a result and has since been hospitalized.

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