If we want to see more clean doctors who have high professional ethics, the best way is to develop an effective supervisory mechanism. Everyone, doctors included, will be unwilling to take bribes if there is a strict and effective system in place to prevent it.

Li Zhongqing (www.tianshannet.com.cn): To take hongbao from patients is deteriorating the relationship between doctors and patients, and this is detrimental to the image of both doctors and hospitals. That’s why the health authority has adopted various measures to prevent doctors from taking hongbao. In some areas, doctors who are found taking bribes will be severely punished, and have their credentials disqualified.

Actually, for a doctor, not to take hong-bao is the same as a common citizen not violating laws. Will anyone think of awarding prizes for people not violating laws? Nowadays, to refuse hongbao is indeed meritorious, but to praise doctors for this act means to encourage their fellow workers to behave in a more virtuous and cautious way, and not to stir up their enthusiasm for another kind of hongbao, like a reward from the local health bureau.

Wu Hangmin (www.newssc.org): Recent years have seen many hospitals set up a “hongbao account,” and doctors who hand over bribes to the account will not be held accountable. However, according to the law, doctors are forbidden to take bribes from patients. The Jinan Health Bureau’s award to the two doctors is confusing: Does it mean to curb the hongbao scandal or does it intend to tolerate those who violate the law? In this case, obviously, the refusal of hongbao is regarded as a positive action and it is encouraged in the form of an award, but at the same time, it seems that the acceptance of hongbao is nothing serious. This is because while encouraging refusal, the health authority does not punish accepting hongbao. The contradiction is that people deem refusal is something that merits special reward while accepting bribes is part of the system. But ultimately these two doctors were just doing what they are supposed to do, so why were they rewarded?

Appreciation for ethics

Huang Mingjin (www.bandao.cn): According to the law, doctors are forbidden to accept bribes from patients. However, some doctors still secretly take hongbao.

In my opinion, those who refuse to take hongbao from patients can be divided into two groups: doctors who really have professional ethics and doctors whose medical skills are so bad that no one wants to offer them gifts.

Hongbao is now a major problem in the patient-doctor relationship, and is severely criticized by the public. This problem results from the overall social environment and the improvement of the situation can’t depend on the good ethics of only a few doctors.

The reward for doctors who refuse to take hongbao is not a pure material thing, but, more importantly, a spiritual encouragement. This may even set a good example for the whole healthcare sector. When more and more doctors refuse hongbao, the relationship between doctors and patients will naturally improve.

Wang Xudong (Guangxi Nanning Morning Post): Patients and their families all believe that only by offering hongbao, will doctors try their best to cure patients. Those who do not offer hongbao will feel worried, as will those who have their hongbao rejected.

Actually, many measures have been tried to remove the hongbao phenomenon in the healthcare sector. Hospitals try to educate and persuade doctors to adhere to their professional ethics, but always end up with little improvement. Before the most effective recipe is found, any innovative attempt to stem the tide of bribery should be encouraged. To reward doctors who refuse to take hongbao from patients is at least a step in the right direction.

Wang Li (www.dahe.cn): Doctors who refuse to take hongbao are safeguarding the moral bottom line, just like a soldier who fights to the last breath on the battlefield. The 1,000-yuan reward shows the local health authority’s high expectations on doctors’ professional ethics. It’s better than if the health bureau did nothing to the good doctor.

Although this is not the best way to encourage integrity in doctors, why don’t we show some tolerance toward the reward? Of course, we all hope to see better incentive systems that will totally improve the patient-doctor relationship, but this is a start.

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