Hospital pays for infant tragedy in Xi'an

By Ma Lie (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-08 10:39

XI'AN: Parents of eight infants who died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, have each been paid 180,000 yuan ($26,000) in compensation.

One of the parents surnamed Ma said the hospital had also returned about 10,000 yuan he had paid for his child's treatment.

Another parent surnamed Xiao said: "I know all the parents involved in this tragic incident received compensation and return of the treatment fees."

The infants were born prematurely and in critical condition at the No 1 Hospital of the Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University. They received treatment from Aug 28 to Sept 16 but to no avail.

The hospital did not report the deaths to the provincial public health authorities until Sept 23.

An investigation carried out by Ministry of Public Health and the provincial public health authority showed the deaths were caused by the hospital's poor sterilization of its wards, Liu Shaoming, director of the provincial public health administrative bureau, said.

On Sept 25, the university removed a number of hospital officials from their posts. They included Ma Aiqun, director of the hospital, and Lu Yi, deputy director in charge of medical affairs.

Doctors and nurses of the hospital's newborn unit were also ordered to cease work pending further investigations.

The provincial public health authority ordered the hospital and other medical institutions in the province to be inspected to ensure that such an incident does not recur.

The incident has had an impact on the hospital with the intake of patients drastically reduced.

"I do not believe in the hospital any more. I do not want to put my life at risk," Lu Ruiqi, a resident in Xi'an, said.

A doctor at the hospital, who declined to give his name, said the 40 beds in the obstetrics and gynecology department are all empty. At one time they used to be all occupied.