Xi’an apologizes twice, remedies patient admission

Chinese society has begun to reflect on and analyze why delayed treatments of patients resulting in tragic consequences have repeatedly occurred in Xi’an, even with two years’ experience in combating COVID-19, after Vice Premier Sun Chunlan pointed out loopholes in epidemic prevention and control in the city and stressed that patients must be treated immediately.

After Sun’s remarks late Thursday night, Xi’an health commission deputy director Zhang Bo apologized on Friday to the 13 million residents in the city for failing to properly handle the contradiction between epidemic prevention and the public demand for medical care. This came after director of the commission apologized on Thursday to an eight-month pregnant woman who lost her baby after being left waiting outside a hospital for two hours.

Doctors and analysts who believe the tragedies in Xi’an were caused by “bureaucratic delays” said local medical staff failed to assume their responsibility and put the people first. Instead, they chose to rigidly enforce the rules of their superiors.

But analysts stressed that Xi’an’s mismanagement in epidemic prevent and control does not mean China’s precise zero COVID-19 policy has lost its effectiveness, and Chinese grassroots governments’ governance capacity and risk management ability has been improved with their handling of local cluster infections over the two years, and holding derelict officials accountable as part of China’s comprehensive epidemic coping strategy.

Xi’an on Friday issued a medical treatment notice, prohibiting medical institutions from rejecting patients with the excuse of requiring negative nucleic acid test results within 48 hours.

Xi’an’s latest move was taken after Vice Premier Sun Chunlan stressed on Thursday at a meeting that people’s access to medical services must not be denied. Sun said she felt heartbroken about the incident of the pregnant