On the morning of December 26, 2019, I arrived early at Beijing Aviation General Hospital. Dozens of hours earlier, a doctor-killing had occurred here. A family member of a 95-year-old patient murdered a female emergency physician working the night shift; the victim, Dr. Yang, could not be saved and died.
I believe that medical workers nationwide, seeing this news, were all shaken to some degree, and my own spirits were very low.I came here, first, to see whether I could find Dr. Yang's family's contact information and offer what help I could; second, to experience the scene of this extreme doctor-killing event firsthand, reminding myself henceforth to be even more cautious in medical practice and to avoid doctor-patient disputes.Although such a tragedy had just occurred, the hospital's clinical work continued normally; only the medical staff here were mostly heavy-hearted and low in spirits.After Dr. Yang was killed, major media all reported her murder. On online platforms there were many paranoid doctor-haters who, completely disregarding the reality that Dr. Yang's living life had been ruthlessly taken and disregarding her family's grief, actually cheered loudly. This was no less than stabbing Dr. Yang again, and no less than stabbing the broad ranks of medical workers in the heart.We live in an age of deep rancor; society is torn apart, and there is serious antagonism between social strata. A considerable number of people are full of hatred for doctors, and paranoid abuse of doctors is endless. Some have also used online verbal violence against me; I had until now swallowed it in silence, but after Dr. Yang's murder yesterday I began to fight back and defend my rights.For medical workers to be perpetually weak and yielding only emboldens the arrogant. At my own workplace I have placed sufficient weapons; if anyone dares provoke me, I will make them pay.Of course, many rational netizens strongly condemned this doctor-killing, and most people agree that such disregard for human life must carry a price.Doctor-patient conflict has intensified over the last decade. Within this month alone, two doctors have been murdered.On December 3, 2019, a rural female doctor in Hengyang, Hunan, was also murdered. On December 5, the single fellow-villager Wang who killed her was arrested. According to his confession after arrest, he killed this female doctor because she had reminded him to get a physical checkup. Wang had become paranoid and believed that the monthly checkups and photos the government requires village doctors to provide for villagers make people's bodies worse.This incomprehensible motive cost a female village doctor her life. Yet online, too, many people cheered her murder—this perverted group psychology makes my blood run cold.I have a patient who is a nurse; she comforted me by saying such malignant events are low-probability. I do not see it that way.Years ago, chatting in my senior fellow apprentice's office, a patient's family member without an appointment walked straight into his inpatient-office and said angrily: "Doctor X, I have come to see you several times; why do you refuse to issue me a certificate?"This family member wanted my fellow apprentice to issue a certificate that his relative had mental illness, but my fellow apprentice is a neurologist. He could only explain that the man should go to a psychiatrist for the certificate, because a neurologist's diagnosis would be invalid for this condition.The family member refused to listen; in his mind, mental illness was "neurological illness," and neurological illness should be certified by a neurologist. After being politely declined, he flew into a rage, almost roaring. The two of us master and apprentice looked at each other and could only stay silent.What I thought was: if something had happened to my fellow apprentice then, online opinion would probably have presumed him guilty and decided he deserved to die.I consider both murdered female doctors utterly innocent. What is heartbreaking is that the intensifying doctor-patient conflict is harming doctors—and also harming other innocent patients.Because when the profession of doctor is no longer safe, people who once entered medicine full of passion must themselves walk on thin ice; how would they dare risk treating risky patients?One person dies, and a family weeps. The New Year is almost here; the two murdered doctors' families have lost two beloved people and much joy. This Spring Festival will be a time of mourning for them. I hope such tragedy never happens again.With this article I eulogize these two murdered female colleagues. May you, in the other world, no longer have to walk on thin ice.