Sound of Hope (SOH) Radio Network recently had the opportunity to interview a resident of China’s Zhejiang Province who reported on how H1N1 is being handled at the local hospital. Her claims of a medical establishment not responding effectively to an epidemic fit a pattern of anecdotal reports that have come out of China. The regime continues to deny an epidemic is taking place.

According to Xiaoquan, “Mainland China is currently dealing with a very serious H1N1 outbreak. Many doctors dare not go to work and are on leaves of absence. I was waiting in a hospital for three days, and I rarely came across any chief doctors or well-known doctors. It’s hard to find them. I did not see any doctors in the age range of 40 to 50. The medical staff were all doctors whose names people rarely heard of or were young ones.

"It’s pretty much like what happened when we had the SARS epidemic. When there were outbreaks of SARS, hospital officials immediately took leaves of absence and the chief doctors simply disappeared altogether. They put signs on their office doors that read ‘On a Business Trip,’ while they were actually hiding in the countryside.”

Xiaoquan also said that in order to handle the influx of flu patients, hospitals were sending in many inexperienced medical school students.

“Here in the mainland, medical schools and hospitals work together like a family. Many doctors and nurses are students. They took hospital shifts for the sake of course credit or money. Actually, they have no idea how dangerous it is. Nurses and low-ranking doctors are not qualified to treat some illnesses. If you are hospitalized, those inexperienced doctors won’t be able to take good care of you,” she said.

According to several reports from China, H1N1 infections continue to spread in China’s schools, and there have been more H1N1 cluster outbreaks. Xiaoquan observed many students seeking treatment, and the establishment of forbidden areas inside the hospital.

“The Municipal Hospital is busier with more patients seeking medical treatment. In particular, there are many children and elementary school students. They all seemed to have the flu. It has been more crowded recently. A big hospital charges a lot for hospitalization. It is almost like staying in a luxury hotel. It’s a six-story building and you are not allowed to go above the fourth floor. In general, a forbidden area indicates a state secret. H1N1 is spreading now, but even in ordinary times, they usually do not allow you to take pictures. Someone will come over and stop you. It has become a habit. You cannot take pictures in these government buildings. Perhaps you are not supposed to know what the Party does not want you to know. The more you know, the more danger you are in,” she said.

Read the original Chinese article