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Docs fiddle online while kids die
By Wu Jiayin |
November 19, 2009, Thursday
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Print Edition
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A SERIES of shocking cases involving doctors who were not paying attention, answering calls and playing a video game, may have cost the lives of tiny patients.
A 5-month-old baby died while his parents pleaded with a doctor to stop playing a video game and treat their son, the People's Daily reported. The tragedy occurred in the Nanjing Children's Hospital, Jiangsu Province, on November 3-4.
The provincial health department acknowledged the problem in a statement on November 13 and said the doctor, Mao Xiaojun, was busy playing an online version of Go (chess) on the night shift and did not take the parents' worries seriously.
The child died the next morning, on November 4, from complications caused by an eye infection.
The doctor has been fired and stripped of his medical license. The hospital head and several staff members were disciplined.
That doesn't bring back the baby.
In another case, a veteran surgeon in a hospital in Qujing City, Yunnan Province, answered his mobile phone and spoke for a minute while performing a caesarean section on March 30. The infant died several hours after birth, the People's Daily reported on April 1.
The parents of the baby claimed the doctor missed the best time for surgery and that resulted in the death. There are no reports or official announcements supporting that claim. However, even if this was not the direct cause of the baby's death, it is undeniable that the doctor was wrong to answer a private call during surgery. The mobile phone no doubt carries bacteria, which may have caused infection.
At about the same time, two babies who caught cold were reported to have died after receiving treatment in the People's Hospital in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, www.ycwb.com.cn reported at the end of March.
The relatives of the babies blamed the doctors for what they called a careless diagnosis and improper treatment. One doctor was reported to be answering phone call during the diagnosis.
There is reason to believe that had the doctors in these cases shown more commitment to their patients, these babies might have survived, or at least had better chances.
Even if the deaths could not have been prevented, the doctors could have had a clear conscience had they tried their best and not been distracted. Doctors who have no sense of responsibility or sympathy for their patients are no better than killers.
After all, doctors are usually the last resort for people who fall seriously ill and there is no way to avoid a doctor in a caesarean section. Irresponsible doctors waste time that could be used to save lives.
A 5-month-old baby died while his parents pleaded with a doctor to stop playing a video game and treat their son, the People's Daily reported. The tragedy occurred in the Nanjing Children's Hospital, Jiangsu Province, on November 3-4.
The provincial health department acknowledged the problem in a statement on November 13 and said the doctor, Mao Xiaojun, was busy playing an online version of Go (chess) on the night shift and did not take the parents' worries seriously.
The child died the next morning, on November 4, from complications caused by an eye infection.
The doctor has been fired and stripped of his medical license. The hospital head and several staff members were disciplined.
That doesn't bring back the baby.
In another case, a veteran surgeon in a hospital in Qujing City, Yunnan Province, answered his mobile phone and spoke for a minute while performing a caesarean section on March 30. The infant died several hours after birth, the People's Daily reported on April 1.
The parents of the baby claimed the doctor missed the best time for surgery and that resulted in the death. There are no reports or official announcements supporting that claim. However, even if this was not the direct cause of the baby's death, it is undeniable that the doctor was wrong to answer a private call during surgery. The mobile phone no doubt carries bacteria, which may have caused infection.
At about the same time, two babies who caught cold were reported to have died after receiving treatment in the People's Hospital in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, www.ycwb.com.cn reported at the end of March.
The relatives of the babies blamed the doctors for what they called a careless diagnosis and improper treatment. One doctor was reported to be answering phone call during the diagnosis.
There is reason to believe that had the doctors in these cases shown more commitment to their patients, these babies might have survived, or at least had better chances.
Even if the deaths could not have been prevented, the doctors could have had a clear conscience had they tried their best and not been distracted. Doctors who have no sense of responsibility or sympathy for their patients are no better than killers.
After all, doctors are usually the last resort for people who fall seriously ill and there is no way to avoid a doctor in a caesarean section. Irresponsible doctors waste time that could be used to save lives.
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