Exodus from the public hospital system

by Liu Dong
After a successful career as a doctor in China's public hospital system for 20 years, 47-year-old Zhang Qiang made a bold decision to quit his job and go private. Almost one year on, he said he has never felt so close to his original dream.
Ten months ago, Zhang announced his high-profile resignation on his personal Sina Weibo, drawing thousands of reposts and comments online and widespread attention among his colleagues and patients. For Zhang, the decision not only meant giving up a 400,000-yuan-a-year job ($65,560) at a top hospital in Shanghai, but also meeting the very practical challenge of survival.
Today, Zhang works under contract for two major private hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai. He said his goal is to build China's top vascular surgery brand within five years.  
Zhang is not the only doctor to take the plunge. A number of young doctors like Zhang have made, or are considering making, the decision to leave public hospitals to pursue new possibilities. They might not be the most experienced or famous doctors, but they are all distinguished in their field and have a new understanding of how to practice medicine today.
These doctors chose to rid themselves of the system's constraints because they long for a brighter career, a more relaxed working environment, more income earned through legitimate work, and most of all, to better serve patients and earn the respect that comes with being a doctor, which is why they initially chose to take up this profession.
Read full article at Global Times