Domestic medical services have to catch up

CHINESE ACTRESS Li Bingbing reportedly suffered a high fever in Australia for more than half a month, and had to fly back to China for medical treatment because the local hospital failed to diagnose her illness. Li's story gave rise to heated discussions among Chinese netizens over the state of medical services at home. People's Daily says that the country's ongoing medical reform needs to be pushed forward to improve the services offered to patients and the working conditions for doctors:

Despite Li Bingbing's frustration that the Australian hospital failed to diagnose her illness, it is also important not to ignore the fact many Chinese patients face similar problems at home. That some Chinese prefer to go to foreign hospitals, many of which are enhancing their presence in the Chinese market, has a lot to do with the fact that China's medical resources still lag behind those in developed countries.

In particular, the shortage of quality doctors has become a major obstacle. The country's first Internet hospital which recently opened in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang province, might make it easier for residents to get medical diagnoses. However, the fundamental cure to the current problems in the country's healthcare provision lies in a comprehensive overhaul of the medical system that simplifies and optimizes the procedures patients have to go through to get treated.