Public interests deserve more attention

Xiao Chang (hlj.rednet.cn): For the media, reporting the truth is of the essence. But in fact, truth can be found only through the integration of various information sources, and reporting needs a balance of all news sources.

Many doubt the test, but prior to this, the absence of a trustworthy medical system has long existed. While the public may be misled by biased news reporting, it is not the case in this tea “incident.” Perhaps ordinary citizens have limited knowledge of medical testing procedures and this is an area hospitals should clarify to gain more support from the public.

Cao Lin (www.china. org.cn): To maintain their reputation, medical experts and other hospitals argued in favor of their Hangzhou peers after the tea was tested and found to be “infected.” But why not allow other neutral and authoritative organizations to prove them innocent? Even though they are right, occasionally, tea might be “infected,” the journalists were not in the wrong since they have the right to know and pass on information that is in the public’s interests.

As the public has doubts about hospital procedures, we need to take some approaches to test, to investigate, and to prove any wrongdoing. When the truth is not accessible via normal measures, journalists have to use other strategies.

Also, doctors should not be over reliant on testing equipment that should merely be a reference for their prescriptions. A thorough physical exam, the analysis of medical records, and diagnosis by experienced doctors can result in more accurate diagnosis being made. The doctors are irresponsible to give a costly drug prescription without careful diagnosis.

Sheng Dalin (Guangzhou Daily): The health authorities criticized the journalists by saying that they have complicated the simple medical procedures by bringing other liquids as urine specimens for medical tests and in the process compounded the troubles in hospitals.

The explanation that chemical elements in the tea can also react to produce something akin to blood contained in urine may be persuasive, but sounds hard to accept. At least, the journalists did not fabricate the test results.

Chen Chuangdong (The Beijing News): The alleged procedural deficiencies and the journalists’ lack of professional knowledge cannot cover up some deep-rooted problems in our medical system, for example, lack of credibility with the public.

Media supervision is indispensable to the public’s health. We need those who really care about our safety and public interests in this world to constantly be on the alert.

Guo Songmin (www.xinhuanet.com): For the media, the most important task is to find the truth for the public, and the strategies used are not of great importance if it is a legitimate issue being investigated.

Sometimes undercover reporters and secret investigations may be deceitful, but it will help more people avoid being deceived.

The failure of China’s medical reforms, in terms of the soaring costs of medical care, has sparked social discontent. Healthy people are diagnosed with diseases. Small ailments are said to be serious problems, in addition to frequent occurrences of medical malpractice. Maybe it is the right time for the health authorities to take some measures to punish wrongdoings, reduce mistakes, and to improve the precision of tests and the quality of diagnosis.