Bloody patient-doctor disputes in Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces this month show the need for medical authorities to reform the mechanism of solving medical disputes as soon as possible, says an article in Southern Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:

Statistics show 78 percent of doctors do not wish their children to become doctors. The Public Health and Family Planning Commission ordered recently that every 20 hospital beds should have one guard. Both doctors and patients are victims of the low efficiency of the dispute solution system. The commission's new order seems an oversimplified measure that is not helpful to deal with the root causes of such disputes.

Effective complaint and mediation systems are necessary to avoid physical conflicts. The agencies that investigate medical negligence should fulfill their responsibilities and build up people's confidence.

On the other hand, the government should further relieve people's medical financial burdens and improve doctors' incomes.