Emergency rescue service and hospitals play different roles

A TELEVISION JOURNALIST has reportedly received an apology and an offer of compensation from the Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Center, which gave him excessive checkups after he fell ill on a flight to the capital earlier this month. The Beijing News says that the emergency rescue center should strictly fulfill its due responsibility and transfer patients to a proper hospital.

Of course, the reason why the Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Center delayed the journalist's treatment remains unclear and has still to be determined. However, what is even more noteworthy is that the center has too much power as both an emergency service provider and a medical institution.

As a public service, pre-hospital treatment should be independent of any third-party organization. That being said, the emergency rescue center should take patients to the most suitable hospital, not some affiliated alternatives, as soon as possible.