Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Round Table.
Picture an elderly person standing alone in the lobby of a major Chinese hospital,
staring at a check-in machine that they've never used,
a queue they can't find the end of,
and a payment screen that only takes a phone that they don't have.
For you, it's a hospital visit, but for them, it's an obstacle course with no map.
Now imagine a stranger walks up and plays the role of the son or daughter who isn't there
for a few hours, for a fee.
Is that a solution or is it a symptom of something bigger?
And can family really be rented by the hour?
Coming to you from our studios in Beijing, this is Round Table.
I'm Steve Hatherly, thank you so much for being with us today.
And for the show, I'm with Feifei and Junya.
First up.
Imagine you're an elderly patient going to a major hospital alone in China.
First, you have to check in on a machine.
Then, you need to find the right department, get in line, pay electronically,
go for tests, collect your medicine, and make sure you've understood what the doctor just told you.
Now for a younger person, that's just a normal trip to a hospital.