Baby dies after ambulance fee demanded up front in Hunan
Print Edition
A ONE-YEAR-OLD boy in central Hunan Province died after a hospital refused to transfer him to provincial capital Changsha until his mother had collected enough cash to pay for the ambulance.
Doctors at Hunan Children’s Hospital in Changsha said if the baby had arrived earlier, he could have survived, Sanxiang Metropolis Daily reported.
But emergency treatment officials from the Xiangxiang People’s Hospital in Xiangxiang City said they had to follow the rules: payment in advance.
The boy’s mother, surnamed Tan, was told to pay 800 yuan (US$132), though an investigation found that the cost should have been under 440 yuan.
In any case, Zeng Wei, deputy director of Xiangxiang Health Bureau, said the hospital had been too inflexible.
Wang Qin, deputy director with Xiangxiang People’s Hospital, said they had compensated Tan 9,800 yuan.
The city’s healthy bureau said those involved would face disciplinary action.
Tan took her son to a clinic on the evening of December 23 as he wouldn’t stop crying.
The doctor at the clinic said the baby was seriously ill and drove them to Xiangxiang People’s Hospital. The child’s illness was not disclosed.
They arrived at 7:10pm and two hours later, following tests, doctors said the baby should be transferred to Changsha.
By now, the child was pale and cold with rapid breathing.
Officials told Tan to pay 800 yuan for the ambulance. She only had 100 yuan and begged them to first take the child to Changsha, where her husband, who was in the city, could pay.
But officials refused. “We have rules. How can we hit the road without first receiving money,” one was reported to have said.
Patients and families rallied round and raised the money and the ambulance finally set off at 10:50pm, Tan said.
But at 2am on December 24 the child was pronounced dead.
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