Scorn that greeted health claim shows ills arise from ambiguity

A NEWS RELEASE issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission claiming that "500 million people have access to family doctor services in China" has been met with doubt and scorn, as the figure does not match people's experience. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Thursday:

After the news release became the news, the commission explained the figure was a total sum of those submitted by local public health departments, and that a "family doctor" refers to doctors and nurses working in residential communities and doctors working in local public hospitals.

Although the commission's response is timely and to the point, it should learn the lesson that the information it discloses must be free of ambiguity to avoid any misunderstanding.