The move is aimed at providing hospitals with legal backing in case they end up in court facing a malpractice suit.

Currently, all hospitals require patients or their family to sign releases before performing surgery, but don't require signatures when diagnosed with an illness and prescribed medication.

However, several big hospitals, including Shanghai International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital and Huashan Hospital, recently introduced the new rules requiring patients to sign a document when they ask a doctor to change a prescription.

Take for instance a patient went to the International Peace for treatment of an infection.

The doctor suggested she receive injections for three days, however, the patient claimed she was too busy for that and wanted to be treated with pills.

"Since pills may be less effective and time-consuming than injections, we would require the patient to sign the medical report, showing that she has been told about the differences between the two treatments," said hospital spokeswoman Chen Daning.

Chinese people often try to diagnose themselves and buy drugs at pharmacies without a prescription. When their illness is more severe, requiring a trip to the hospital, they will often disagree with a doctor's recommendations, and demand a different course of medication.

Chen explained that "because of different physical condition of each person, doctors can't guarantee treatments chosen by patients are 100 percent safe and effective. As a result, we prefer patients sign the report to show that he or she has been informed about the treatment change and its possible results."

"Since I have suffered from hypertension and gastric disease for a long time, I have had a good understanding of my own condition and suitable drugs. But doctors are tough to communicate with," said Huang Huangying, 56, a woman who had to sign a release to renew her prescription at Huashan Hospital.

(eastday.com March 10, 2003)