Hospital volunteers serve as 'nice' bridge to medical care

"The root of the tension lies in the misdistribution of medical resources," said Wang, who lives in southern Beijing's Daxing district.

"When people all swarm to large hospitals, it's hard for them to get an appointment, thus they will become frustrated and anxious. On the other hand, when they settle for small hospitals in their neighborhoods, they may suffer from poor medical service, which in turn will create more serious conflicts.

"I'm not so sure that hospitals in Daxing can provide good medical service for my daughter, who is suspected of having a hip joint dislocation," he said.

"My wife and I tried to make appointments with large hospitals on the Internet and on the phone, but found out we had to wait at least a month. I cannot wait that long given my daughter's condition," said Wang.

Wang took the earliest subway, at 5:30 am on April 16, to hospitals downtown before he finally got to visit an expert at Beijing Children's Hospital that day and made an appointment for a sonography test the next day.

"It will be very helpful if experts in large hospitals also come to work in other hospitals so that people can be treated in their own neighborhoods," he said.