A report with video footage of a mother who died in Hunan Province after giving birth to a baby went viral on Chinese social media On Tuesday.
The deceased woman, surnamed Zhang, was found dead and bleeding on the operating table after she gave birth to a baby boy. The doctors responsible for the surgery reportedly disappeared.
The family of Zhang accused the maternity hospital in Xiangtan County, Hunan Province of medical negligence. They are now questioning on the cause of death and the whereabouts of the doctors.
Searching for a reason
Based on a preliminary diagnosis, the local government responded in a statement on August 10 saying that the woman had died ofamniotic fluid embolism (a potentially fatal condition in which amniotic fluid enters the mother’s blood stream), according to a Beijing News report on Wednesday.
The family cast doubt saying that the diagnosis was not made before the baby’s birth.
Explanations from many experts in this area, however, say that the disease is always hard to tell beforehand.
Where were the doctors?
An official from the local sanitary bureau, named Qi Xianqiang, denied that the doctors have gone into hiding, saying that 「they were in a duty room taking a break (after the surgery).」
Yang Jiang, a vice president of the hospital, said the doctors were not directly facing the relatives because they were afraid of being attacked, according to a Xinhua report.
Compensation
Relatives of the woman are demanding 1.2 million RMB (around $195,000) in compensation, while the hospital responded on Thursday that it would offer a compensation of 536,000 RMB (around $87,000), said Legal Evening News.
As of Thursday morning, the hospital and the family have not reached an agreement on that.
Opinions among netizens on Sina Weibo were divided.
「If it is not the result of a medical accident, it is not necessary for the hospital to compensate. Doctors are deeply misunderstood…Some doctors are careless, but we cannot deny that a majority of them are not.」 @xiaomingmingyaobianqiangda
「As far as I know, amniotic fluid embolism is an emergency… It is very dangerous. The most effective way to deal with it is to cut the womb, which cannot wait. However, the chance of saving the patient's life after that is very low…The doctors would never kill someone on purpose. 」@lengyoucan
「Please investigate the truth! … No matter how severe the arguments between the doctors and relatives are, the woman’s parents are the saddest!」 @carlyabl
Amid these discussions, investigations are still underway, said Qi Xianqiang, deputy director of the local health bureau. He also said that an autopsy will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death. The family has tentatively agreed to an autopsy, according to Legal Evening News.