China hospital offers free cosmetic surgery to student employees
A hospital in Shanghai, China, will offer 10 interns free or discounted cosmetic surgery procedures in exchange for a one-month work contract, according to an article posted June 16 on ShanghaiDaily.com.
Students are being sought as nurses, security guards, janitors and receptionists - though the hospital is looking in particular for receptionists, the online newspaper reports. The interns will be entitled to free cosmetic procedures worth up to 5,000 yuan - about $7,730 - or a 5,000 yuan discount on more expensive procedures.
Yang, a student at the Shanghai Vocational Management College of Trade Union, told ShanghaiDaily.com that she's excited about the offer because "a good appearance is important for finding a job and for future development."
Yang, who desires jawbone reduction surgery, added that the 5,000 yuan discount on the 30,000-yuan procedure would prove greatly helpful in covering the procedure on her own.
Some have deemed the offer as a publicity stunt for the hospital. Gu Xiaoming, PhD, a sociologist from Fudan University, is one of the many skeptics of the hospital's motives, telling ShanghaiDaily.com that "businesses shouldn't seek to attract students by offering unnecessary products such as plastic surgery."
He added that an exchange of labor is only positive when it involves something the student needs - such as books - and that invasive surgery shouldn't be approached lightly. "Cosmetic surgery is an invasive medical practice, and whether students can be treated appropriately on the prices offered is questionable," Dr. Gu said.
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