Racial Discrimination in Tibet (2000)
Discrimination in Healthcare
Discriminatory Treatment
According to
one doctor
who spent a number of months
working in Tibet, the care offered to patients was
highly dependent on their nationality, and demonstrated
"a largely unspoken attitude that (a) Tibetans are not
worth bothering with, and (b) Villagers are not worth
bothering with." Thus, even those Tibetans who can afford
the deposit fee necessary for hospital admission still
find they receive discriminatory treatment. 24 year-old
Namlang was a nomad in Mahlo "TAP", Qinghai Province,
before fleeing to India in January 2000. "Although there
were no medical facilities in our village, we did have
access to the People's Hospital in the township, abut 8
hours horse-ride from my home. In 1998, I suffered from
many intestinal problems, and was admitted to the hospital
for one month after paying a deposit of 500 yuan. The
facilities in the hospital were generally quite good, but
the Chinese were always given the clean, comfortable beds
while Tibetans were put in the dirty beds. Tibetan patients
also had to ask their relatives to bring food from home,
as only the Chinese patients were provided with meals. Most
of the staff were Chinese, though there were a few Tibetan
workers who treated us much better and with respect. It was
a strange system though, where the doctors saw patients in
the mornings only - if we had a problem at any other time
we had to shout and beg for someone to help us. In total,
I paid 2300 yuan for medicine, bed and treatment."
22 year-old
Dhundup
escaped from Gade County, Golog "TAP" in December 1999,
and reported that discriminatory treatment had become
common practice in his region. "The Chinese and Tibetans
in my area are treated very differently in terms of
health care. Most of the government staff are Chinese,
and they are given special consultations with doctors free
of charge. If they need to go to the county or province
hospital they are also given the department vehicle free
to transport them there. Tibetans have to pay between 2000
and 3000 yuan if they want to hire a vehicle to cover the
same distance. From sitting in the waiting rooms of many
hospitals I have also seen that Chinese patients often
receive much greater attention. For example, one Chinese
man was seen immediately by the doctor even though there
was an elderly Tibetan man who was much sicker sitting
next to him who had been waiting much longer. Tibetans
hate getting ill, because they know this is how they will
be treated."
Some Tibetans working in government offices or in
state-owned enterprises may have part of their health
expenses covered by the company, but even then many
refugees report differential treatment from their Chinese
co-workers.
Bechung
from Gade County in Golog "TAP", Qinghai Province,
worked in a government grain store for 14 years before
escaping to India in January 2000. "Many of the Chinese
who worked with me fell sick because they were not used
to the harsh environment and altitude, and the company
would then cover half of their medical expenses. But when
a Tibetan worker fell sick, the company refused to cover
any of the expenses, saying that it was not ‘official
policy'. I felt so angry, because many of the Tibetans,
like me, had worked there for so many years."
A
media worker
from Gansu Province fled to India in March 2000 and
reported similar discrimination. "It was part of our
office policy that all employees would receive 50%
off their healthcare treatment costs because it was a
government-run organisation. However, this was rarely
true in practice. Only a handful of employees who had
connections higher up were able to enjoy such benefits,
and they were mostly Chinese."
Others have been more lucky.
Tsewang Tobla,
a teacher from Ngamring County, Shigatse Prefecture,
arrived in India in January 2000. "In Tibet I was teaching
in a government funded primary school. We were lucky
enough to have a People's Hospital in the township, and I
only had to pay 40% of the fees for my healthcare - the
government would pay the rest. As a government employee
I was also exempt from the advanced deposit, and the
treatment I received was of a good standard. I felt bad
however, because my family still have to pay for all of
their medical costs because they are farmers, and I would
see so many Tibetans turned away from the hospital either
because they had too little money or because they had no
connections."
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