Power Game of Nao: Violent Disputes in the Chinese Medical Sector

Abstract

The medical sector in China has witnessed increasing disputes between doctors and patients over the past several years. Various factors contribute to the increase in medically-related disputes: a rising consciousness of patient rights, the deepening misunderstanding between patients and doctors, inflammatory media reporting, the commercialised health care that infringe on people’s moral economy, and the absence of a formal institution for dealing with medical disputes. In medical disputes, patients (and their relatives) and doctors (and hospitals) compete in a struggle for power over the control of their interests and safety, and over their moral definitions of justice and rights. When patients are mistreated or die, the moral sentiments of the public who shares many unhappy healthcare experiences are on the side of the patients and their relatives. However, when health professionals are attacked or killed, they become the weak ones, who cannot protect themselves from violence. They begin to win over public sentiment, gradually accumulating moral capital, which justifies them in fighting back. Yet, the configuration of power between disputing patients and health professionals is shaped by the power of the government.