Behind the three-month suspension of two star hospitals is the sad song of private hospitals

It was an unprecedented punishment: two hospitals with more than 6,500 beds combined were suspended for three months.

After the "Xi'an pregnant woman miscarriage" and "the elderly angina was rejected" incidents triggered a tsunami of public opinion, the Xi'an Health Commission responded quickly, on the grounds that "mechanically implement relevant epidemic prevention policies and delay the rescue and diagnosis and treatment of critically ill patients."

In fact, before arriving at these two private hospitals, the protagonists of the two incidents experienced many times that 120 could not be dialed, and many public hospitals refused to receive treatment.

Therefore, this news has attracted widespread attention in non-public medical circles, from the discussion on the legality of the temporary closure of medical institutions by health administrative departments to the situation of non-public medical care, "It is difficult not to make insiders associate private hospitals with unfair treatment." An industry insider told Eight Point Kenwen.

All of these elements make up a story that is dramatic enough, but the most dramatic part is that it happened during the pandemic. The epidemic has led to a shortage of medical resources in Xi'an, and after the closure of two large hospitals, the secondary disasters brought about by it have gradually surfaced.

Two star hospitals

Among the private hospitals in Xi'an, the high-tech hospital and the international medical center rank first and third respectively - the high-tech hospital is the only third-class hospital in the high-tech zone with a population of nearly one million, and the two hospitals have contributed more than 6,500 beds to Xi'an's medical supply market.

"I'm in a terrible mood today, and I've rarely been as anxious as I am today." On the evening of January 13, Guo Shuzhong, director of plastic surgery at Xi'an International Medical Center, posted on Weibo, saying that because the hospital was closed, he was suddenly banned from surgery, and 117 patients with microtia, if the operation continues to be postponed, the risk will be greatly increased.

The above Weibo received more than 30,000 retweets. After public attention, Professor Guo Shuzhong obtained the qualification to operate on patients. Because of the voice of the chief surgeon, the second-stage surgery problem of 117 patients with microtia was temporarily solved, but more people's medical dilemmas are surfacing.

In addition to the medical problems of millions of people, what is little known is that behind the two hospitals is an A-share listed company with a total market value of 25.7 billion yuan on January 4, "Xi'an International Medical Investment Co., Ltd." (hereinafter referred to as "International Medicine").

In the year and a half before that, the stock price of International Medicine rose by more than 400% at one point.

Just in October 2021, international medicine also said in response to investors that recently, the number of daily inpatient beds in Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital reached a record high, exceeding 2,000 beds, and the maximum number of daily inpatient beds in high-tech hospitals exceeded 1,400 beds. The overall use of medical beds in both hospitals is in a phase of rapid increase.

From a 400% increase, daily inpatient beds reached a record high; to being shut down by ST, hospitals for three months, a black swan event that delayed treatment during the epidemic, in a very dramatic way, pushed an ambitious and momentum private hospital into the focus of public opinion, and its own fate also slid into the unknown.

In recent years, Xi'an has invested heavily in the medical field, focusing on building a "western medical capital". Non-public medical care has also ushered in development opportunities in such a big environment.

Among them, the high-tech hospital was established earlier, and the high-tech zone in Xi'an can be described as a synchronous development, "as a supporting hospital for enterprises and residents in the high-tech zone, it is an all-round comprehensive hospital." An industry insider analyzed to Eight Points, "Taking advantage of the advantages of social medical treatment at that time, especially the convenience of purchasing high-end equipment without approval, I purchased some high-end equipment." According to public information, the hospital has 2391 medical equipment of more than 10,000 yuan, with a total value of about 550 million yuan.

The hospital also poached obstetrics and gynecology talents from major public hospitals with high salaries, aimed at the direction of reproductive medicine, and rapidly expanded in the field under the encouragement of the three-child policy.

Seven years after its opening in 2002, Gaoxin Hospital became the first social tertiary hospital in China.

Unlike high-tech hospitals, Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, which opened on September 25, 2019, is more like a "new upstart" born with a "golden spoon". At the beginning of its opening, it was called "the largest single hospital built in China".

In the past two years, whether it is investing more than 5 billion yuan; the total construction area is 532,500 square meters; the planned bed has reached 5,037; or it is said that the patient source is aimed at the entire northwest region and even the whole country; under a series of data and external propaganda caliber, the ambition of this hospital is highlighted.

Industry insiders analyzed to eight points of jianwen that under the dividends of the "military reform" policy, Xi'an International Medical Center seems to have indeed embarked on a broad road.

Professors from the Fourth Military Medical University and the School of Medicine of Xi'an Jiaotong University became the leaders of their departments, and many clinical experts from Xijing Hospital and Tangdu Hospital were also recruited to the hospital. Guo Shuzhong, director of plastic surgery who spoke out for 117 patients with microtia on Weibo, was previously the president of the Xijing Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University and a top expert in the field of plastic surgery in China, and he joined Xi'an International Medical Center at the end of July 2020.

"Good technology and service, good reputation. Hemodialysis, pregnancy, tumors, including plastic surgery, are all advantageous specialties, and there are many patients. Industry insider evaluation.

In October last year, Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital entered the list of "Social Medical And Individual Hospitals (Top 100)" for the first time, and rushed into the top 30. Prior to this incident, the hospital's revenue in the first three quarters of 2021 reached 1.137 billion yuan, an increase of 158% year-on-year. In non-public hospitals, the development momentum can be described as strong.

But a rising star, the top three private hospitals, the next "super hospital" in the circle of population, has moved towards an unknowable future in an unexpected way of "shutting down for three months".

Image from Visual China

After the suspension

The suspension has left many people in a passive position.

"These two hospitals are 'Big Mac' level hospitals in the local area, housing many tumor patients, and hundreds of thousands of permanent residents around also need top three hospitals." An insider told Eight Point Kenwen.

Eight points of health from the official websites of the two hospitals learned that the maximum number of beds in Xi'an High-tech Hospital can reach 1500; Xi'an International Center, as the largest single hospital in China, can reach more than 5000 beds. According to the 2020 annual report of its parent company, even in the case of being affected by the epidemic, the combined annual emergency volume of the two hospitals has exceeded 1.2 million, and nearly 70,000 inpatients.

In the face of two hospitals of such a large scale being suspended at the same time, Dr. Zhuang Yiqiang, director of GAHA of guangzhou Elippi Hospital Management Center, told Eight Point Jianwen that punishment is necessary, such as punishing responsible doctors, responsible department heads, and competent presidents.

At the same time, he also raised concerns, "Xi'an High-tech Zone has a population of more than 1 million, and two hospitals above the third level have been suspended in one go, and there may be problems for local residents to see a doctor."

There are also chronic disease patients who directly ask questions to the Xi'an Municipal Health Commission: before they had been seeking medical treatment in international medicine, they needed to prescribe special drugs once every three months, and now they are suspended, the hospital cannot prescribe medicines, and the medicines are almost finished, how to solve them?

Similar requests for help, helplessness, and concerns on other social networks are endless.

The suspension is more likely to be fatal to investors and hospitals.

On the day of the suspension order, the stock price of Xi'an International Medical, the controlling person of the two hospitals and a listed company, directly plunged, down 10%. The next day, the stock was suspended.

At present, the stock price of Xi'an International Medicine has fallen to 8.37 yuan / share, compared with the high point of 12.55 yuan / share in 2021, a decrease of about 33.31%, and the market value has evaporated by more than 9.5 billion yuan.

Because the suspension triggered the mechanism of "other risk warnings for the stocks of listed companies", Xi'an International Medicine has become "ST National Medicine".

ST means "special treatment" and indicates the possibility of delisting. It is very rare for A shares to be warned because of other risks, and the last one was Changchun Changsheng, the protagonist of the "fake vaccine" incident.

According to the company's annual report, the two hospitals contributed more than 90% of the company's revenue. The investor has invested more than 5.5 billion yuan in these two hospitals, especially the Xi'an International Central Hospital, which has just begun to operate in 2019, and the number of beds is more than 5,000, which is unique in the world, and this hospital is also called "super hospital".

"A lot of oncology patients go to these two hospitals for surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and they are also equipped with a lot of advanced equipment. Moreover, these two hospitals have been established to introduce the professional team of the Fourth Military Medical University. Originally, the development momentum of these two hospitals was still very good. An industry insider told Eight Point Kenwen.

The suspension penalty is undoubtedly a blow to the two hospitals. Many hospital managers also lamented: "Their development is still good, and they are a more promising sample in private hospitals." ”

This impact is most directly reflected in the economy. According to the revenue calculation of the two hospitals in 2020, the direct economic loss of 3 months of suspension is 300 million to 400 million yuan. According to the analysis of the medical executive director of Beijing Lu Daopei Blood Disease Hospital, the actual loss may even be more.

"The impact is not small." Li Dinggang was distracted, "The epidemic should be prevented and controlled, disciplines should be built, medical and nursing talents should be protected, and localities need wisdom and courage, not just punishment and harm!" ”

The risk of intangible loss is higher. Some insiders believe that if the thousands of employees of the two hospitals only take the basic salary and no bonus, it is likely that there will be a loss of talent. Now the competition for talents is so fierce, once the key talents are gone, or even the establishment is poached, the situation of the hospital is dangerous.

"To re-establish a department, a discipline, if it is to reach its most brilliant state, it will take several years, and it will not even be able to recover."

Some local doctors have also confirmed that the salaries of medical staff will be paid during the suspension period, and performance has yet to be further discussed, but non-medical positions may face unemployment. "After all, the burden is too heavy."

"Anyway, the hospital has to hold on, and it has invested billions of dollars in it." Some industry insiders believe.

And if the hospital is really crushed, the interests of patients are inevitably damaged.

On the morning of January 14, Guo Shuzhong's Weibo update said, "Just received a notice, the superior agreed that I can operate on these people who are still in Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital." ”

This means that 117 patients with Microtia who are already waiting for surgery can undergo surgery as scheduled.

Eight points of health news learned that according to the Xi'an Health Commission announced to ensure the normal medical treatment of the masses, the patients in the hospital in accordance with the treatment plan that has been formulated, continue to do a good job in follow-up diagnosis and treatment services; Xi'an has 18 hospitals to dock, including 9 hospitals above the third level and 9 community hospitals. In the form of counterpart support from tertiary hospitals, patients are triaged to various community health service centers.

A local insider told Eight Points That after the patients are diverted to the community, although the doctors of the top three hospitals can provide corresponding support, for some patients with more serious diseases, many equipment and drugs are not available in the community. Severely ill patients need life support, and rescue in emergencies is a problem.

Private hospitals that hurt their kind

The two hospitals that should have been running wild on Kangzhuang Avenue suffered an unprecedented blow due to the black swan incident.

Before arriving at these two private hospitals, the protagonists of the two medical accidents experienced many times that 120 could not be dialed, and many public hospitals refused to accept treatment.

Therefore, after the release of the handling announcement, there was an uproar in the medical circle, feeling that "the punishment was too heavy".

A senior person in the industry told Eight Point Health That the two hospitals' prevention and control treatment is not flexible enough, violating the principle of life first. However, many hospitals that refused treatment did not have corresponding penalties, which was unfair. A one-size-fits-all decision-making level that leaves individual hospitals accountable will lead to new healthcare system problems.

Xu Yucai, former deputy director of the Shaanxi Shanyang County Health Bureau, believes that the decision to suspend the diagnosis lacks legal basis. In the existing legal system, according to the Regulations on the Administration of Medical Institutions, the health administrative department orders medical institutions to stop practicing activities, and there is only one situation, that is, practicing without obtaining a Medical Institution Practice Permit.

Obviously, the two hospitals in Xi'an do not meet such conditions.

Behind the suspension punishment, it may reflect the general dilemma in the epidemic situation of private hospitals: although people and property are invested in support, they are often misunderstood and obscured, and compared with the public hospitals that are appreciated, public opinion generally believes that "private hospitals only know how to pursue profits and cannot be mobilized", "social doctors have done anti-epidemic 'deserters'".

In fact, in the previous rounds of epidemics in Wuhan and Xi'an, the central hospitals and high-tech hospitals that were punished this time have also served as the main force in the fight against the epidemic. At the beginning of 2020, the two hospitals sent a total of 327 medical staff to support Hubei, and in the current Xi'an epidemic, the two hospitals sent more than 2,000 medical staff, and completed million nucleic acid sampling.

A private hospital president once recalled to Eight Points That during the epidemic in Wuhan, the hospital transformed a hospital into a designated hospital, received more than 800 new crown patients, performed more than 70 emergency surgeries, and also took over a square cabin hospital. In the process of fighting the epidemic, more than 100 medical patients have been infected. The volume is only 1/10 of that of public hospitals, but it undertakes the same anti-epidemic task, but unfortunately, as a private hospital, it can not get the same flowers and applause in the end.

The epidemic has lasted for 2 years, and public hospitals have been well received, but private hospitals have still not been able to reverse the perception of the outside world. Xi'an's two strongest private hospitals were suddenly shut down for three months, once again making the industry feel uneasy, and in the stock market sector, private medical care was a miserable green.

Zhang Qiang, founder of Zhang Qiang Doctor Group, believes that after the suspension penalty, investors in the circle may not be willing to make large-scale investments in Xi'an, and the incident has created a bad impression on the society.

Regional leaders still can't stand the wind, and the feeling of trepidation is also spreading in non-public medical circles. In addition to the international medical stop, the private medical sector is generally affected by this incident.

"The leading bosses in the region are all whipped, and it is even more difficult for us small hospitals to survive." The manager of a private hospital in Xi'an lamented to Eight Points.

In addition, the confidence of the capital market in running medical services in society has also been greatly damaged. As soon as the news of the suspension of Xi'an High-tech Hospital and Xi'an International Central Hospital for three months came out, "In addition to the ST stop of international medicine, many private medical sectors have fallen sharply, including New World Medical, and even Corning Hospital have fallen." The president of a private hospital told Eight Points.

Zhu Xueqi, Shi Chenjin, Chen Guangjing 丨 wrote

Xu Zhuojun 丨 Responsible editor

Yu Huanhuan also contributed to this article

This article was first published on the WeChat public account "Eight Points Health" (ID: HealthInsight)

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