Doctor Punches Patient During Surgery In China
Chinese authorities are currently investigating a hospital in response to a viral video depicting a surgeon allegedly punching a patient during an eye operation, BBC reported.
The incident, which occurred in 2019 but gained public attention this week, led to widespread outrage on Chinese social media.
Aier China, the hospital’s parent group, has taken swift action by suspending the implicated surgeon and dismissing the CEO of the hospital where the incident transpired.
The video shows the surgeon reportedly striking the patient’s head multiple times while conducting the surgery.
According to Aier China, the surgery took place in Guigang, a southwestern Chinese city, and involved an 82-year-old woman. The hospital’s statement suggests that the patient, under local anesthesia, exhibited intolerance by moving her head and eyeballs.
The surgeon, faced with a language barrier as the patient spoke a local dialect and did not respond to Mandarin warnings, allegedly treated the patient roughly in what was described as an emergency situation. The patient sustained bruises on her forehead, as reported by local authorities.
Following the surgery, the hospital issued an apology and provided 500 yuan ($70, £55) in compensation to the patient’s son, who revealed to local media outlets that his mother is now blind in her left eye. However, the cause of her vision loss remains unclear.
Despite the incident occurring in December 2019, it only gained public attention this week after Dr. Ai Fen, a prominent Chinese doctor, shared CCTV footage of the surgery, according to BBC.
