Our seniors deserve better care

The plight of a school teacher whose terminally ill father was passed from hospital to hospital has drawn widespread sympathy on the Internet recently. Qin Ling's father sadly passed away last week. And in the two months before his death he had been treated at no less than five hospitals. Qin became so desperate at that time that he posted an online 1,000-word missive to Yu Zhengsheng, Communist Party of China Shanghai Municipal Committee Secretary, explaining his frustration.

He outlined how his father was rejected time and again from hospitals because he had terminal cancer. "I am so sad that my father, a man who devoted his whole life to his country, was not allowed to get into a hospital when he was sick," Qin said in the letter. Qin spelt out that he hoped all such people in future could be treated with dignity in a safe medical environment as they lived out their last days.

Yu responded saying: "Your pain is our pain, and our consensus will promote us moving forward."

The Party chief admitted that improvements were needed in the care of terminally ill cancer patients. And as result of Yu's knowledge of the situation, the local health authorities contacted Qin and informed him that permanent arrangements would be made for his father's care.

However, this incident highlights an everyday reality for many people living in Shanghai, China's most prosperous city.

All of society needs to pay serious attention to the issues that Qin's case highlights. We need to question our health system. Does the fault lie in the fact that our medical resources are insufficient? Or is it a problem of management?

Qin also pointed out in his letter that the one-child policy in China has put a huge burden on only children. Qin pointed out that his generation need more support from society, particularly with practical help for caring for elderly parents.

This is an issue that affects many people in Shanghai. According to official figures, by the end of 2015, 30 percent of the city's population will be over 60, and 60 percent of all households will be a one-child household. Comprehensive decisions need to be taken to tackle this problem of an aging society.

After all, we all have parents, and we are all going to grow old, and maybe sick, one day. Hopefully Qin's story will provoke more than a few tears. It should serve as a warning to the powers-that-be that our current healthcare system is in desperate need of reform.