Recently, in Qian’an City, Hebei Province, the traditional Chinese medicine hospital has been found to reuse paper with diagnosis information of other patients, leading to the disclosure of patients’ personal privacy.
A video shared by a netizen shows the back of an examination request form dated October 20, printed with the hospitalization diagnosis record of a patient surnamed Chen on July 27. The record contains the patient’s ID number, age, admission and discharge time, as well as specific medical diagnosis and other private information.
The person in charge of the traditional Chinese medicine hospital in Qian’an City explained to the “Straits Metropolitan News” that in order to save costs, the hospital encourages the practice of “second printing” on the back of discarded paper. Due to inadequate sorting checks, the diagnostic proof was mixed into the waste paper pile and was mistakenly used to print new documents.
The incident has sparked widespread discussions on the Internet about whether “the hospital is really out of money.”
Many medical staff members revealed on social media that “hospitals everywhere are cutting costs, whether it’s printing paper, hand sanitizers, or tissue paper, if it can be avoided, it will be.” “Every piece of paper adds to the department’s expenses. If there is no money in the department, salaries and bonuses cannot be paid. It’s really dire.” “It’s like this everywhere. We have to pay for our own water, and are constantly told to turn off lights and computers.” “It’s probably the same nationwide. If this goes on, the system will collapse one day.”
Some netizens also shared their experiences, saying, “This year, I stayed in two hospitals and found that cost-cutting has reached this level. Moreover, all test results in a Class III hospital cost only fifty cents per print.” “When my mom was hospitalized for surgery, the hospital gave a notice sheet, and on the back was another patient’s test report.” “Even the prescription given by the doctor later had someone else’s medical history on the back.”
Public information shows that the Qian’an City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital was established in October 1982, and is a national Level III Grade A traditional Chinese medicine hospital with more than 1,200 employees.