Dev World Bioeth. 2018 Mar;18(1):37-44. doi: 10.1111/dewb.12152. Epub 2017 May 21.
In the medical practice in China, giving and taking "red envelopes" (monetary gifts) is a common phenomenon although few openly admit it. This paper, based on our empirical study including data collected from interviews and questionnaires with medical professionals and patients, attempts to explore why "red envelopes" have become a serious problem in the physician-patient relationship and how the situation can be improved. Previous studies show that scholars tend to correlate the spread of "red envelopes" in health care sector to the commercialization trend, the general erosion of traditional values, and the lowering of the moral level in the medical field. However, in this paper, the authors argue that medical professionals' choice of taking "red envelopes" is actually more a way to compensate for their problematic self-image and marred dignity in real practice. Medical professionals in China as a whole are in an embarrassing situation where the work pressure and income, and the sense of pride that used to be part of their profession are not comparable to each other. Under this circumstance, we believe that the effective way to deal with the "red envelopes" issue does not lie solely in introducing more stringent regulations or granting medical professionals higher payments, but rather in protecting and enhancing the professional dignity of all those working in healthcare. And on top of that, there must also be effort to cultivate a more favorable moral environment.
在中国的医疗实践中，送“红包”（金钱礼物）是一种常见的现象，尽管很少有人公开承认。本文基于我们的实证研究，包括对医疗专业人员和患者的访谈和问卷调查数据，试图探讨为什么“红包”在医患关系中成为一个严重的问题，以及如何改善这种情况。先前的研究表明，学者们倾向于将医疗保健领域“红包”的传播与商业化趋势、传统价值观的普遍侵蚀以及医疗领域道德水平的降低联系起来。然而，本文作者认为，医疗专业人员选择收“红包”实际上更多的是为了弥补他们在实际工作中受损的自我形象和尊严。中国的医疗专业人员整体上处于一种尴尬的境地，工作压力和收入，以及曾经是他们职业一部分的自豪感都无法相提并论。在这种情况下，我们认为，解决“红包”问题的有效方法不仅在于引入更严格的规定或给予医疗专业人员更高的报酬，还在于保护和增强所有从事医疗保健工作的人的职业尊严。除此之外，还必须努力营造更有利的道德环境。
