So the topic on everyone's lips today is: How could China have been so irresponsible?

I was reading 2 interesting articles on this subject last night, and thought I'd share a few snippets of information below.

From an article in The Sunday Times ( 20th April 2003 ):

"You have to die to be counted as a SARS patient in China." -- Prof. Lin Qingxin from Beijing University.

"The most important vacation in the life of Chinese people, Chinese New Year, was coming. We didn't want to spoil everyone's happy time." -- Feng Shaomin, director of foreign affairs for the Guangdong health department, on why authorities withheld important information about the SARS outbreak in late January this year.

"Chinese lives are seen as cheap, while foreign lives are expensive." -- a Chinese academic who asked to remain anonymous.


From the latest Time (Asia) magazine issue dated April 21:

"Don't believe the government -- they never tell you the truth. They say it's a deadly disease with 4% mortality? Are you kidding me? The death rate is at least 25%." -- a nurse at Beijing's You'an Hospital.

"Our primary concern is social stability, and if a few people's deaths are kept secret, it's worth it to keep things stable." -- a Shanghai-based respiratory specialist.

"Most doctors are too frightened of losing their jobs to tell the truth about such cover-ups... instead of instructing doctors on how to contain the disease through public-education campaigns, medical officials told physicians they were forbidden to publicize the SARS deaths in order to ensure stability."

"Wearing a mask will scare the patients. We do not want panic." -- hospital administrator, when questioned by a concerned doctor on why medical staff were not allowed to protect themselves.

"In 2002, the Chinese leadership revised its HIV estimate from 30,000 cases to 1 million -- IN A SINGLE DAY."


The one thing we can be thankful for is that no matter how many flaws the Singapore government may have, at least it doesn't practise obfuscation. Protective gear is supplied readily, latest developments are openly shared, and medical facilities here are top-notch in terms of expertise and cleanliness. Sure beats some isolation wards in a Beijing hospital, where patients ( including doctors and nurses ) "piss in the room, crap in the room and eat in the room."

The above articles also offer valuable insight into the link between China and the subsequent global spread of SARS. The first case is postulated to have begun as early as November last year, but was initially concentrated in the Guangdong province. The pivotal character was a certain Dr. Liu, who treated a SARS case in his country before staying at the Metropole Hotel in Hong Kong and later infecting fellow residents there, 2 of whom are the original index cases for Singapore. One can only wonder if this disaster could've been avoided if the Chinese government had investigated the outbreak instead of opting for a 5-month wait-and-see-if-we-get-caught strategy.

Over here, it looks like only one other MO and myself will be covering the ICU during the day next month. With 2 MOs turning registrars ( aka senior residents ) and another going on no-pay leave, the choices are severely limited, and I was approached to cover the unit full-time!! I passed on the assignment, partly 'cos my mother would kill me if she found out, and partly 'cos if anything were to happen to me ( touch wood ), nobody can take care of my parents. However, I still worry, as I will be doing ICU duty during night calls. But when help is needed, you discover whether you have a conscience or not. Hopefully I still do. :)