下醫

Although I have all my respect to Sun Simiao, I could never agree with the statement inferior doctors treat the disease (下醫醫病). The reality is we are badly in need of doctors who could focus on a particular skill.

You may think that’s not really the case. We have far too many specialists; more often than not a doctor would focus on their particular area of interest and pay no attention to the overall picture of the patient.

Yes, that is true – as long as you are talking about the plan or decision of management strategy, or, the task of a physician.

However, when it comes to a procedure-based treatment – surgical operation, endoscopy, or whatever – the consideration is entirely opposite. A doctor who masters the skill of a very simple procedure (for example, gastroscopy or hernia repair) and nothing else is as good as any other.

On one hand, we need many more doctors who could competently repair a hernia than resecting part of a liver. On the other, we often need someone who would ask nothing and repair a hernia (or any other simple procedure) upon the request of a mediocre doctor.