Netizens request refunds of donations to family of dog attack victim
By Chen Meiling | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-10-24 17:03
Netizens who donated to the family of a 2-year-old girl who was seriously injured after being bitten by a dog have applied for refunds due to questions about the fundraising, which reached around 2 million yuan ($273,000).
The girl, 2, was attacked by a Rottweiler while walking in her community with her mother in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Oct 16. She had multiple bite wounds and her right kidney was damaged badly, according to the West China Hospital of Sichuan University.
After the incident, her family initiated fundraising on the online platform Fun in Funding. About 87,000 netizens donated about 2 million yuan within just 5 hours and 18 minutes, according to a report from China Philanthropist, a domestic news magazine on Monday.
However, some questioned whether the girl needed such a huge amount of money for treatment, and whether the family is economically struggling.
As of Monday night, about 1,300 donors have applied for a refund from the platform, totalling about 50,000 yuan.
The platform replied to the media that the charity fund will be only used for medical treatment and will be transferred to the hospital if needed instead of the family's personal account, according to a report from Nanfang Metropolis Daily.
As of 11 am on Monday, the hospital received a pre-payment of 220,000 yuan and used about 60,000 yuan for the previous treatment, People's Daily reported.
The girl was moved out of the intensive care unit on Monday. Currently, her vital signs are stable, and she is receiving further treatment at the hospital, it said.
