“…Jia Ruilingโs* father has been enduring severe pain since 17 March. He has late-stage stomach cancer, but his hospital refused to treat him because Jiaโs neighbourhood was under lockdown as a result of a handful of Covid cases.
โWe begged the hospital to accept him again and again,โ Jia said. โAt some point my father was in so much pain that he wanted to take his life. What can we do? Please, help us let the central government know.โ
Chinaโs strict zero-Covid policy means all positive cases have to be hospitalised. But in the last few weeks, as case numbers have risen sharply and 26 million people entered a harsh lockdown, mainland Chinaโs most important financial hub has come to a standstill. Medical resources are overwhelmingly diverted to combat Covid, leaving it difficult for non-Covid patients like Jiaโs father to access them.
Luo Ruixiang*, a 39-year-old Chinese worker in the Republic of the Congo, had a similar experience. He flew home in March in the hope of receiving urgent treatment after damaging his left eye.
He landed in Shanghai and informed his quarantine hotel and customs officials of his medical needs, but for more than a week he heard nothing. โI was worried that if I waited until the quarantine was over, I would have already gone blind,โ he said.
Desperate, Luo went on to the social media site Weibo to plead for help. Local media soon called him, and medical help was quickly on the way. โThankfully, the operation is done,โ he said. โItโs not supposed to be this complicated, but as a small potato everything is so difficult for me.โ…”