MIGRANT MOTHER'S DEATH PROVOKES DEBATE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 007462 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2032 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PROP SOCI CH SUBJECT: MIGRANT MOTHER'S DEATH PROVOKES DEBATE ON INEQUALITY AND MORALITY IN CHINESE SOCIETY REF: BEIJING 6606 Classified By: Deputy Political Section Chief Ben Moeling. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). Summary and Comment -------------- ¶1. (C) The death of a desperately poor migrant worker and her unborn child at a Beijing hospital has generated public uproar and a wave of social criticism by intellectuals. The migrant, 22-year-old Li Liyun, died November 21 when her common-law husband refused to sign a permission form to allow doctors to perform an emergency caesarean section. Public anger appears to be equally divided between the husband and the hospital. While our contacts differ over whether the hospital is legally liable, they agree that the case, with its themes of poverty, alienated migrants, and a Darwinian medical system, has struck a raw nerve in a society ill-at-ease with growing inequality. This story highlights the social divisions and weak social safety net that the Communist Party leadership's "harmonious society" program is designed to address. The story also illustrates the latitude some market- oriented Chinese media now have to report on "sensitive" issues that only a few years ago would have been off-limits. End summary and comment. Permission Denied -------------- ¶2. (U) Beijing news media have given extensive coverage to the death November 21 of Li Liyun, a migrant worker from Hunan Province, and her unborn child. The 22-year-old Li and her baby died after her common-law husband, Xiao Zhijun, refused to sign a permission form to allow doctors to perform an emergency caesarean section. Originally reported as an isolated tragedy, the story has taken on much larger significance, our contacts say, because it touches upon so many social pressure points, including a general distrust of the medical system, a deficient social safety net, marginalization of migrant workers and a lack of moral accountability in China. ¶3. (U) On November 21, Xiao, a Hunanese migrant worker who arrived in Beijing in 2006, took his common-law- wife, Li Liyun, to Chaoyang Hospital's Jingxi branch. According to press accounts, doctors determined Li, who was in her ninth month of pregnancy, was suffering from acute pneumonia and needed to undergo an emergency caesarean section to save her life and that of her child. Xiao, however, refused to sign a form allowing the operation. In subsequent press interviews, Xiao said he feared the hospital was demanding his signature because it wanted to absolve itself of responsibility in the event Li died. Numerous media reports, however, have speculated that Xiao also feared he would be unable to pay the cost of his wife's treatment. Beijing newspapers, led by the popular, mass-circulation newspaper Xinjing Bao (The Beijing News),have provided heavy coverage of the fallout, including the official investigation and the family's contemplation of a lawsuit against the hospital. In more recent days, several national news weeklies, including Nanfang Zhoumo (Southern Weekend) and Sanlian Shenghuo Zhoukan (Lifeweek) have picked up the story. The official Xinhua News Agency reported December 10 that, in reaction to the case, China's Ministry of Health announced that it will explore the establishment of a state foundation to help indigent patients cover medical bills. Hospital Bears "Moral Responsibility" -------------- ¶4. (C) Xu Zhiyong (protect),an activist lawyer who has written about the case for Nanfang Zhoumo, told PolOff December 6 that, under Chinese law, the hospital is not liable for Li's death. However, Xu asserted, the hospital "should bear moral responsibility." Xu said the hospital focused its efforts on covering its legal bases rather than saving Li's life. (Note: Legal experts are divided over whether Xiao's refusal to sign necessarily precluded providing treatment in such a life-or-death emergency.) The hyper-suspicious Xiao, Xu said, is the product of an environment in which migrant workers face severe prejudice and are subject to exploitation. The case, Xu wrote, shows that "this society is so BEIJING 00007462 002 OF 002 deficient in love, love between doctors and patients, between rich and poor, and between the city and the countryside." Just RMB 100 in His Pocket -------------- ¶5. (C) Legal Daily International Editor Zhang Shensi (protect) remarked to PolOff December 6 that poverty was likely a decisive factor in Li's death. Xiao, who worked as a dishwasher, reportedly had just RMB 100 (USD $14) in his pocket when his wife fell ill. Zhang speculated that Xiao refused to sign primarily because he knew he could not afford an operation that would have cost at least RMB 5,000 (USD 680). Zhang asserted the hospital is legally liable and was obligated to provide treatment despite the lack of a signature. "Just because the husband is ignorant does not mean the hospital can act in an equally ignorant way." Unable to convince Xiao to sign the form, and with Li's condition rapidly deteriorating, the hospital reportedly spent considerable time contacting district-level and eventually city-level health officials for guidance. This "bureaucratic" handling of the situation, Zhang said, and the unwillingness of anyone in the hospital or government to take responsibility have added to public indignation. ¶6. (C) In a December 10 meeting with PolOff, Beijing University sociology professor Ma Rong (protect) agreed that China's medical system is one of the main sources of public dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, Ma argued, this anger is primarily directed at hospitals and individual doctors rather than at government agencies or the Communist Party. Ma described Xiao's case as an anomaly. While many rural migrants lack health insurance, Ma noted, most have family support networks to help them cope financially with a health crisis. (Note: Xiao and Li, according to media reports, were both estranged from their respective families.) Furthermore, Ma said, the media scrutiny of the case is itself an indicator of positive change. Government and public institutions are more accountable than before. Had the incident taken place in past decades, Ma argued, it would have gone unreported and unnoticed. RANDT