Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Frustration when a government does not provide the necessary health care

Yann Meunier, MD
Physician
June 25, 2011
Share
Tweet
Share

Year: 1988

Setting: Electricite de France clinic at Daya Bay, China
Position: Resident physician

A Japanese encephalitis epidemic has struck southern China and I am in its midst at Daya Bay where Electricite de France is building a nuclear plant for the Chinese government. As the resident physician for the company, I see the local employees and their families. They all get immunized against the disease with the inactivated virus Biken vaccine, which comes from Japan and is expensive.

By contrast, the Chinese government has not yet started an immunization campaign. However, I know from employees living in the area that people are dying from the disease in local health facilities. The extent of the epidemic in terms of morbidity and mortality remains unknown. The regime does not communicate statistics to health-care providers, much less to the domestic media. The international community also is left in the dark. This concerns me a great deal, particularly because one of the camp nurses is from Hong Kong and her family is worried about a possible extension of the epidemic into the British territory.

There are political, social and psychological tensions at various levels: between expatriate management and local workers, who would like their friends not working for EDF to be immunized; between EDF executives and local Chinese authorities about the lack of communication; and between people working on-site and outsiders. Providing medical care in this environment has been an eye-opener.

Despite official recommendations discouraging off-site travel, I manage to visit villages in the plant vicinity with a few Chinese friends. We witness first-hand the level of poverty in the countryside. Conditions are typical of developing countries: poor hygiene, children walking barefoot among farm animal excrement, ragged clothes, etc. I do not observe any sign of malnutrition, but I wonder how the children fare in the winter when the temperature drops below freezing level. With the help of my co-travelers, I inquire about the vaccination status of these children. No parents recall any recent shots. I compare this with the statistics the Chinese government has provided to the World Health Organization indicating that most of its citizens have been immunized. Something is not right!

After leaving the camp a few weeks later, I hear that the Chinese authorities have started a vaccination drive, which helps bring an end to the encephalitis epidemic.

Lesson for the doctor: Frustration and despair can reach an apex when a government does not provide the necessary health care to its population in times of crisis. Getting a true assessment of the situation may involve doing your own investigation among the people who live there.

Yann Meunier is the health promotion manager for the Stanford Prevention Research Center who blogs at Scope at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Submit a guest post and be heard on social media’s leading physician voice.

Prev

New fields in general surgery and the rise of the surgical hospitalist

June 24, 2011 Kevin 6
…
Next

Team based care in health reform needs patient involvement

June 25, 2011 Kevin 23
…

Post navigation

< Previous Post
New fields in general surgery and the rise of the surgical hospitalist
Next Post >
Team based care in health reform needs patient involvement

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Yann Meunier, MD

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Always treat your patient with compassion

    Yann Meunier, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    You cannot treat a patient against his will

    Yann Meunier, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Maintaining private space when patients share trying times with you

    Yann Meunier, MD

More in Physician

  • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

    Anonymous
  • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

    Dr. Vivek Podder
  • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

    Maureen Gibbons, MD
  • Medicalizing burnout misses the real problem

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

    Patrick Hudson, MD
  • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

    Howard Smith, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Finding healing in narrative medicine: When words replace silence

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Why coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Why doctors stay silent about preventable harm

      Jenny Shields, PhD | Conditions
    • Why interoperability is key to achieving the quintuple aim in health care

      Steven Lane, MD | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Finding healing in narrative medicine: When words replace silence

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Why coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Why doctors stay silent about preventable harm

      Jenny Shields, PhD | Conditions
    • Why interoperability is key to achieving the quintuple aim in health care

      Steven Lane, MD | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Frustration when a government does not provide the necessary health care
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...