Lanzhou Dawn Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital issued "two cancers" physical examination forms to the villagers. Lanzhou Dawn Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital also issued a list of charges to the villagers.
Recently, 57 women from Phoenix Mountain Village in Hongcheng Town, Yongdeng County were organized to attend free gynecological examinations at Lanzhou Dawn Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. The examination revealed that nearly half of the women suffered from gynecological inflammation. Under the hospital's strong "recommendation," 26 women underwent LEEP knife surgery, but after the operation, many people experienced symptoms such as abdominal pain and back pain. Gynecological experts stated that most common gynecological diseases do not require surgery.
Villagers' Feedback:
Free Physical Examination: Many People Were "Strongly Recommended" to Have Surgery
A villager named Tuo Xiulan from Phoenix Mountain Village said that around 8 o'clock on the morning of September 1st, the village women's federation director Xu Fanglan notified her to take a bus to participate in the free "two cancers" physical examination, stating that this was uniformly organized by the town government. She was asked to invite a few more villagers to go together. Tuo Xiulan was very happy, thinking it was a good thing, so she invited three other women from the same village to join her for the examination. Tuo Xiulan recalled that on that day, a total of 43 people from Phoenix Mountain Village attended the free physical examination, going to Lanzhou in two batches by bus.
The village women's federation director Xu Fanglan told reporters that she was not very clear about the free physical examination either. One evening, she found a notice on her desk that Lanzhou Dawn Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital would provide free physical examinations for women. Thinking it was a good thing, she organized the first batch of 14 villagers to go on August 25th, and September 1st was already the second time.
Many Women Were Diagnosed with Gynecological Diseases
A villager named Lyu Yuanmei who participated in the physical examination on September 1st said that they arrived at Lanzhou Dawn Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital around 10 o'clock that morning. The hospital staff first conducted a half-hour lecture on gynecological diseases, emphasizing the serious consequences of having gynecological inflammation. Afterwards, each person underwent a gynecological examination. The results shocked them: nearly half of them had gynecological inflammation.
"You have cervical erosion and must undergo immediate surgical treatment; otherwise, it is very easy to become cancerous." Lyu Yuanmei said that according to the doctor, this disease was very dangerous and could also affect their husband's health.
When Lyu Yuanmei learned that the surgery was not free, she decided to consult with her husband. Unexpectedly, when she went downstairs to make a phone call, the hospital staff refused to let her go downstairs, citing reasons such as her unfamiliarity with the surrounding environment and the danger of going outside.
"The earlier you do the surgery, the better. In other hospitals, it costs three or four thousand yuan, but we only charge half the price." Afterward, the hospital staff continuously persuaded Lyu Yuanmei and other women diagnosed with gynecological inflammation.
"We don't have money with us, and we can't afford the surgery fees." When some villagers said this, the hospital readily agreed to perform the surgery first, allowing them to write an IOU for the treatment fees, which would be collected later that night. Thus, these women underwent surgeries that lasted only a few minutes. That night, after they returned to the village, the hospital collected the surgery fees from them in the village.
"I didn't want to have the surgery, I only spent 140 yuan." Villager Xue Yuhua said that no matter what the hospital staff said, she refused to have the surgery. Later, she reluctantly chose an "internal cleaning." "In total, 26 people underwent surgery, with the highest cost being over 1400 yuan," said Xue Yuhua.
An Article Raised Suspicions
On September 2nd, the women who had undergone surgery followed the instructions of the doctors at Dawn Hospital and went to the village clinic for intravenous antibiotics. On September 3rd, while one woman was receiving the IV, she accidentally saw an article titled "The Sinister Interests Behind 'Free Gynecological Examinations'" published by a Lanzhou media outlet on August 28th. She realized that her experience was extremely similar to what was described in the article and passed the newspaper to the other women. They realized that they might have been deceived. According to villager Hua Yongfang, after reading the report, they went to inquire with the village women's federation director Xu Fanglan. Xu Fanglan firmly stated that the free physical examination was organized based on a notification from the town government, and she even claimed to have a "red-headed document" from the town. However, the villagers never saw this "red-headed document."
On September 6th, more than 20 women who participated in the "free physical examination" went to the town government to inquire about the situation. A responsible person from the town government told them that there had never been any official documents or notifications regarding "free physical examinations."
Xu Fanglan, when interviewed by reporters, stated that she herself did not know beforehand that surgery would be required after the examination, and all surgeries were performed with the consent of the women, without any coercion.
Post-Surgery Discomfort
"My stomach really hurts, and my waist feels swollen." Tuo Xiulan, who was receiving an IV drip, told reporters that after the surgery, she consistently felt discomfort in her stomach and waist. She thought it was a normal post-surgical reaction, but a week had passed, and her condition had not improved.
Almost all the women who underwent surgery experienced similar conditions. They took the prescriptions given by Lanzhou Dawn Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital to nearby clinics for continuous antibiotic treatments. Among them, Zhang Xiu, one of the first batch of women who attended the examination on August 25th, had the most severe condition. Not only did she experience lower back pain and abdominal pain, but she also continued to bleed from her lower body, and it had been 13 days since her surgery.
Hospital Statement:
All Treatments Were Voluntary, No Forced Recommendations
On the afternoon of September 7th, when reporters visited Lanzhou Dawn Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Director Huang of the hospital's office said that they initiated this activity primarily for the health of rural women and secondly to enhance the hospital's influence through this event.
Director Huang said that the doctors conducting the examinations and treatments at the hospital were qualified. Moreover, the treatments provided to these patients did not qualify as surgeries. At the time, most of the procedures were LEEP knife treatments and internal cleanings, and there weren't 26 individuals involved—there were at most around ten. After the surgeries, the hospital revisited these patients.
When reporters asked whether they were aware of the post-surgical discomforts experienced by the women and if they knew which patient had the most severe condition currently, Director Huang replied that he wasn't entirely clear and needed to ask the physician specifically responsible for follow-ups.
"Do these women with gynecological inflammations necessarily need LEEP knife treatment?" Director Huang said he wasn't sure and would need to ask a specialized doctor. It's best to treat illnesses promptly.
"Did the hospital repeatedly recommend treatments to the villagers?" Director Huang said he wasn't present at the time and wasn't entirely clear. All the treatments the villagers received were voluntary, absolutely without preventing them from going downstairs or strongly recommending hospital treatments.
Expert Opinion:
Gynecological Diseases Don't Necessarily Require Surgery
On the afternoon of September 9th, reporters interviewed Dr. Zhang Xiaohua, the attending physician in the gynecology department of the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Dr. Zhang Xiaohua said that currently, indeed many rural women suffer from gynecological diseases, but finding more than half of them with cervical erosion, hypertrophy, and other gynecological diseases during a single check-up is quite rare. "Generally, patients can be cured through microwave, laser, and other physical treatments." Dr. Zhang explained that when women develop cervical erosion, even if the erosion reaches grade three, physical treatments are usually tried first according to standard practices. Only if physical treatments prove ineffective would surgical methods be considered. Normally, surgery like LEEP knife treatment would not be prioritized unless absolutely necessary.
Subsequently, reporters learned from the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Lanzhou that the cost of physical treatments generally ranges between 100-200 yuan, with a maximum of 500 yuan. If surgical methods are used, the cost is generally around 1000 yuan (excluding examination fees).
(Informant: Ms. Liu, Reward: 60 yuan)
Text and Photos by Our Reporter Ma Ming and Xue Changming