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Personnel disciplined over Zhengzhou child's death

By Yang Zekun | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2022-11-20 20:13

Authorities in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, said on Sunday there was no rejection or delay of first aid in a case where a child died last week.

However, some medical personnel did not have a strong sense of responsibility and did not fully perform their duties in the processing of dealing with the emergency, a statement issued by the investigation team formed by Zhengzhou's discipline inspection committee and the health commission read.

Medical personnel did not have proper ability to deal with emergencies nor have necessary humanistic care for children and special groups, and there was a lack of adequate training and management in centralized quarantine locations, it said.

The baby, surnamed Li, was born prematurely by cesarean section at 29 weeks and was treated in an incubator for more than 60 days after birth.

She was in Henan Provincial People's Hospital for lumbar hemangioma and received treatment five times one month prior.

Her mother was transferred to a medical observation site after testing positive for COVID-19. She was later quarantined with her father in a hotel in Zhengzhou due to close contact.

The father called for an ambulance around noon on Nov 14 twice, saying the baby vomited milk and was not eating. An ambulance arrived at the hotel about 30 minutes later and the baby and her father received rapid COVID-19 antigen tests.

An emergency doctor asked the father about the baby's situation twice and told him to call the emergency medical number. The father replied the baby had fallen asleep and was no longer vomiting.

A dispatcher at the local emergency center contacted the father four times to learn about the baby's situation, confirmed no ambulance was needed and reminded the father to call the ambulance at any time in case of emergency.

The father tested positive for COVID-19 around 7 pm, but the baby's result was not available, so the two needed to be transferred to a designated hospital.

At 00:29 am on Nov 15, the father asked the nurse in the designated hospital to check on the baby. The nurse found the baby's extremities were cold and had no response to stimuli. After the rescue failed, the doctor pronounced the child dead at 3:57 am.

According to the statement, five people from the quarantine venue, emergency station and a designated hospital were given Party disciplinary and administrative penalties.

The authorities pledged to focus on diagnosis and treatment procedures for key groups and critically ill patients and improve working mechanisms to ensure people's health.

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