In China, there is an extra charge to choose your surgeon:

It is common and accepted that the patient who is about to go under the knife is also the individual who chooses which surgeon will be holding the scalpel.

A patient has to conduct a thorough investigation to find out which surgeon is the best in a hospital before he or she makes such a decision.

But for rural patients, who travel from their villages to hospitals in the big cities, it is almost impossible to make an informed decision in the limited time.

Never fear, there are photographs in the lobby displaying all doctors in every hospital in Beijing. Patients can just take their pick from among all the surgeons.

But a patient has to pay an extra fee for picking and choosing. And the money lines the pockets of the selected surgeons and beefs hospital general funds.