Home
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Shanghai sorting out a sustainable future
Rural tourism: Success depends on more than just green fields and a nostalgic idyll
Sunday
- Subscribe
Telecom cables stolen again
By Dong Zhen |
November 29, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR the second time in less than a month, a hospital and hundreds of households in Zhabei District experienced disrupted telephone and computer network services after thieves stole a telecom cable again.
The first theft, which happened on November 11, was repeated in the same residential complex at 591?Zhong-huaxin Road in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Residents found a section of cable, installed about 5 to 6 meters above the ground on the walls of two buildings, had been stolen. Hundreds of households and apartments in and around the complex lost Internet and telephone connections.
The Zhabei District Central Hospital, which uses the same telecom cable, lost its connection to the city's general health insurance settlement system and also lost all telephone services.
Medical bills had to be written by hand by doctors and patients had to pay with cash, instead of clearing bills with their health insurance cards.
"The hospital will refund the cash and resettle the bills by using the patients' medical insurance cards within 15 days," said a hospital worker.
Telecom repair workers managed to restore the hospital's computer and telephone system by 9:35am yesterday by setting up makeshift cables. And by 11:30am, the whole telecom network in the affected area had been reconnected by workers.
Police have started an investigation but have not said whether the two cases were connected.
Residents yesterday urged authorities to make the telecom cables more secure and complained about the frequent disturbances.
Residents said cables in their complex had also been stolen in 2008.
The first theft, which happened on November 11, was repeated in the same residential complex at 591?Zhong-huaxin Road in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Residents found a section of cable, installed about 5 to 6 meters above the ground on the walls of two buildings, had been stolen. Hundreds of households and apartments in and around the complex lost Internet and telephone connections.
The Zhabei District Central Hospital, which uses the same telecom cable, lost its connection to the city's general health insurance settlement system and also lost all telephone services.
Medical bills had to be written by hand by doctors and patients had to pay with cash, instead of clearing bills with their health insurance cards.
"The hospital will refund the cash and resettle the bills by using the patients' medical insurance cards within 15 days," said a hospital worker.
Telecom repair workers managed to restore the hospital's computer and telephone system by 9:35am yesterday by setting up makeshift cables. And by 11:30am, the whole telecom network in the affected area had been reconnected by workers.
Police have started an investigation but have not said whether the two cases were connected.
Residents yesterday urged authorities to make the telecom cables more secure and complained about the frequent disturbances.
Residents said cables in their complex had also been stolen in 2008.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
