SUNDAY MARKED the observance of the first Doctors' Day in China, which is one of the four national days for a certain profession, the other three being Nurses' Day, Teachers' Day, Journalists' Day. Beijing News comments:

The four national days have two things in common: First, they call for the professionals whose day it is to value and take pride in their profession, so as to encourage them to better serve society. Second, they highlight society should respect these professionals, and better protect their rights.

Many doctors have expressed the hope that having their own national day will encourage people to show them more respect.

That has hit the point.

Doctors and nurses are mortals too. The frequent moving stories about them, with big, bold headlines such as "Doctor unconscious after working for 72 hours" and "Doctor suffering from acute appendicitis worked four hours", show how hardworking they are, but also expose the problems they face.

Worse, there are often reports about doctors and nurses being violently attacked by patients for one reason or another. The security environment in hospitals needs to be strengthened to better protect medical workers, and their salaries should be raised. However, it is always easier said than done. Some doctors have been getting higher payment while some hospitals have better security conditions, but on the whole the situation is still not so good and increasingly fewer high school graduates choose medical majors.

What is even more indispensable is to promote tangible improvement of the relationship between doctors and patients. The shaping of the doctor-patient relationship is complex. If we want to improve it, we must continue to reform the medical system, to strengthen the trust and understanding between doctors and patients. The establishment of the Doctors' Day should become an important opportunity and window for both doctors and patients to enhance mutual understanding. This special day can help in this endeavor, because it provides an opportunity for people to better appreciate the problems and dedicated efforts of doctors.