Hospital should bear the weight of bed injuries

A FEMALE PATIENT who was injured when the hospital bed she was being examined on collapsed has taken the hospital to court, claiming compensation of 140,000 yuan ($21,800). The hospital says the bed collapsed because "she was overweight". Comments:

That the hospital involved has tried to justify itself with such an excuse is unacceptable. Such an attitude and practice not only hurt the patient's feelings, they could also aggravate conflicts between doctors and patients. What the two parties should do now is to sit down and calmly negotiate. The patient should ask for a little less compensation considering the one-year free treatment she has been offered, while the hospital should adopt a softer stance because the injury has cost the patient her job and forced her to postpone her plan to have a child. Mutual understanding and empathy might be the key to solving their dispute.

People's Daily, Aug 24