Nursing services optional or compulsory? A question

A notice released by the National Health Commission recently has sparked a heated debate among the public. The notice said the government is launching a pilot project that offers hospitalized patients the option of relying on nurses and professional workers rather than family members for round-the-clock care.

Many foreign readers may assume that once hospitalized, a patient is taken care of by the hospital.

But, unfortunately, that is not the case in China. Despite continuous appeals by hospitals and doctors, and complaints by patients and their families, China has never had enough nurses. Statistics show China had 5.85 million registered nurses last year. Sounds like a large number, isn't it? But when we compare this with the nearly 302 million hospitalizations in China in 2023, we realize that it is impossible for nurses to care of all the patients.