A doctor analyzes an X-ray at Zhongda Hospital at the Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on May 18, 2012. Photo: IC

When Yu Ying, an emergency physician made famous by her Weibo posts about the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, announced on June 8 that she planned to quit her job, she turned into one of the hottest doctors in China.

"I'm tired of working in a State-owned hospital. After I quit, I might open my own clinic where I will rebuild the trust between patients and doctors. That has been my dream in recent years," Yu told the Global Times on Monday.

In China, where a majority of doctors work in State-owned hospitals, it is rare to see a doctor quit the job and start a business of her own, let alone quit a job at such a prestigious institution. In the eyes of most insiders, Yu is definitely a challenging the present medical system.

However, independent-minded doctors like Yu are becoming more common in China.

In Shanghai and Guangdong Province, which have seen urgent calls for medical reform, some of her peers have also left the lives they were familiar with and explored ways of becoming independent doctors who are not attached to any hospital, setting an example for more to follow.

Pushed to breaking point

Disillusioned with the idea that being a doctor is a noble profession, many doctors at State-owned hospitals suffer from extreme stress.

The uneven distribution of medical resources is widely blamed for the strain. While many rural areas in China are suffering a severe deficiency of medical resources, some cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, are receiving extra resources, attracting waves of patients and increasing the burdens placed on doctors.

Yu has witnessed the increased workload for doctors. The emergency department which she used to be in charge of only has 10 doctors, but sees more than 400 patients coming in per day, meaning that each doctor must diagnose 40 patients.

If they work for eight hours a day, less than 10 minutes can be spent on each patient. "Things that are not related to medical treatments have wasted too much of my energy. As an emergency physician, I can't allow these to happen to me," Yu said.

The government is aware of the problem. In September 2009, a policy was issued that would allow some doctors to work for multiple hospitals. The move was widely seen as a step toward freeing doctors from their hospitals and was expected to improve fairness in terms of the distribution of medical resources. It was also hoped that it would reduce the difficulties faced by hospitals as they would have access to more doctors.

However, the effect of the policy has proven limited, with Kunming, Yunnan Province, having only 1,223 applicants, namely 5 percent of registered doctors, by May 2011. Beijing only had 10 applicants in the three months after local regulations were released.

Seeking independence

After 2007, when the government allowed private funds into medical fields, non-State-owned hospitals have boomed in China, with the investment on medical fields in 2011 reaching 4.1 billion dollars, according to a report released on the Nandu Daily.

These hospitals provide another option for doctors leaving State-owned hospitals, who have already proven their abilities. Waves of them have already left.

However, some doctors, who have already become famous, tend to prefer to launch their own clinics.

"Compared with in the past, more doctors are jumping for better opportunities now. It is no longer surprising to see a doctor leaving his or her position for a position in a privately owned hospital," a doctor in the neurology department of the Beijing Tiantan Hospital, who declined to give her name, told the Global Times.

"Normally, those experienced doctors who are well trained and skilled, but find it hard to get promoted any further in the present medical system, are more likely to leave State-owned hospitals," the anonymous doctor said.

Yu most certainly agrees.

"It is easy for me to find a job in a high-end private hospital to receive high salary. But I prefer to try something new to set examples for young doctors," Yu said.

Zhang Qiang, a former vascular surgery doctor with the Shanghai East Hospital who is renowned for his medical skills, left the hospital and started his own business with WorldPath Clinic, a medical facility jointly run by companies from the US and China.

Zhang claimed that being an independent doctor, he no longer has to pay attention to things that are not related with medical treatment, and has more free time of his own. Now he arrives at his clinic at eight thirty every day, and he can spend the afternoon as he sees fit.

"My clinic has been running well so far. Unlike in the past, I can now focus on medical treatments and don't need to be bothered by suspicious patients. That makes me feel satisfied with the life I'm living now," Zhang told the Global Times on Monday.

However, he also mentioned that it is not easy for a doctor to leave the present medical system.

"To be a successful independent doctor, the doctor must have strong clinical ability and great fame, as those reassure the patients that he or she is not likely to fail," Zhang said.

Besides, most high-end private clinics are not covered by social medical insurance, meaning that a normal doctor who chooses to be independent might have economic difficulties.

"I won't go to private clinics for a doctor because it is too expensive and my medical insurance doesn't cover it," a citizen surnamed Li told the Global Times Tuesday, adding that he thought those clinics are for rich people.

"Most of my clients are white collar workers or foreigners. Even though their medical insurance can't pay for the treatment, they usually have commercial insurance to cover that," Zhang said.

Zhang added that the Chinese government should allow doctors to run their own clinics, supporting the emergence of private medical facilities. He said that the free market for medical treatment would make it convenient for patients to go to a doctor, and cut the expenses for drugs and examination fees.