Hospital's duty of care is to patients, not shareholders

KANGNING HOSPITAL, a mental health facility in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, has become the first psychiatric facility to be listed on the stock exchange. Beijing News comments:

It seems a positive move for a medical group specializing in mental health to be listed on the stock exchange, as it will gain more funding and support.

However, perhaps it should arouse concern. An information asymmetry exists between doctors and patients. That is especially serious in the mental health sector, where many mental health problems are difficult to treat and there is no clear standard on what constitutes a patient's recovery.