Conflicts between doctors and patients have again been in the media spotlight after two doctors were beaten up by family members of a patient who died in a hospital in Guangdong province and a man stabbed a doctor to death and wounded two others at a hospital in Zhejiang province. The high frequency of conflicts between doctors and patients or their family members means that the majority of doctors don't think it is a good career path for their children, says an article in Xi'an Evening News. Excerpts:

In recent years, whenever there is a report that doctors do not allow their children to follow in their footsteps, there always follows an in-depth analysis about the pros and cons of the medical system. This time the focus is on people's dissatisfaction with doctors.

Hundreds of medical personnel from First People's Hospital in Wenling city of Zhejiang province gathered to call for an end to violence against doctors, Oct 28, 2013. [Photo/icpress.cn]

It has become a consensus for employees in many industries to feel disgruntled and complain about their profession at present. The fundamental reason for this is occupational burnout produced by unrealized career expectations and over-work. But outsiders, due to their lack of knowledge about certain professions, are attracted because of the superficial glamour.

As an employee, one should avoid imagining that the grass looks greener on the other side. Only by standing in another's position and understanding the hardships they experience in their profession can people escape the mentality of being in a profession besieged.

Society should have a better understanding of the risks doctors face today, and the government should reform the medical system to resolve contradictions and help rebuild the trust between patients and doctors.

(China Daily 10/30/2013 page9)