Professor bids to determine cause of wife's hospital death

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-06 19:34

BEIJING: A Beijing court on Thursday was considering a final appeal by a university academic who is claiming his wife died during "illegal medical treatment" at the prestigious Beijing University First Hospital.

Xiong Zhuowei, a research fellow with the hospital affiliated to the Beijing University, died of pulmonary failure after undergoing spinal surgery at the age of 49 on January 31, 2006.

Her husband, Wang Jianguo, a professor of economics at Beijing University, filed a lawsuit against the hospital claiming some medical staff involved in his wife's operation were still students at the time, who were not allowed to practice medicine according to law.

Beijing University First Hospital has refuted the charge.

The Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court issued a first-instance ruling in July that the hospital should pay Xiong's family compensation of 700,000 yuan ($102,941).

But Wang appealed to Beijing Higher People's Court, seeking the medical treatment be recognized as "illegal".

Holding his wife's photo to the court, the professor appeared emotional. "I will fight to the end," he said.

"I fight not only for my wife, but the right to life of many other people," he said on his blog. "Hopefully after my lawsuit, the ethics of doctors will improve and management in hospitals will be strengthened."

Wang said he would donate all compensation funds to the needy.

After a two-hour hearing, the court didn't made verdict, saying that the result would come out later.

ILLEGAL OR NECESSARY PRACTICE?

The hospital denied the accusation of "illegal medical treatment".

"The medical staff in the operation were all certified qualified doctors," said Rong Long, spokesman with the hospital.

According to a statement on the hospital's website, Li Dechun, who was in charge of the operation, was a registered doctor at the hospital.

Although Yu Zhengrong had no practice certificate, he said it was not his fault.

The State Ministry of Health gave an explanation of "illegal medical treatment," which was also posted on the hospital's website.

"If the employed medical staff have a doctor qualification certificate, and it is not their intention to avoid obtaining a practice certificate, their work should not been seen as illegal medical treatment," it said.

"I have taken the exam, but the procedure of gaining the certificate was lengthy and complicated," Yu said. He got the qualification certificate in 2005, and took the exam for the practice certificate in June 2005.

A medical student had to go through a clinical test and a written test several months later, before waiting almost a year to get his certificated registered.

But Wang Jianguo was unconvinced. "In the explanation, it said 'employed medical staff,' but Yu was still a student then. He didn't report to the registered doctors timely, which caused the patient to lose the opportunity of being saved."

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