Surgeon loses license after child's death

A surgeon at a hospital in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, has had his medical license revoked following a fatal medical incident involving a young child, according to a statement released by local authorities on Thursday.

The child, surnamed Xu, died on Nov 14 after undergoing a heart surgery at the Women and Children's Hospital of Ningbo University. The case attracted widespread public attention.

The statement followed a thorough investigation led by a team comprising randomly selected medical experts. The probe, which included a rigorous medical appraisal supervised by a notary public, concluded that the hospital committed multiple critical errors.

These included insufficient preoperative evaluation, poor timing and choice of surgical approach and surgical mistakes that prolonged the operation.

The investigation also clarified that certain procedures questioned online, such as leaving the pericardium incision unsutured, were in line with standard medical practice for infant patients.

The medical team's failures were found to have resulted in the child's death, while the child's own complex heart condition was a contributing factor.

The case was classified as a Class 1 medical accident — the most severe level — with the hospital bearing primary responsibility.

The case was filed for further investigation by local public security authorities in accordance with the law.

Local authorities said that the chief surgeon, surnamed Chen, had his medical license revoked and was removed from the position of head of the hospital's anesthesiology department. A physician in the pediatric intensive care unit was ordered to suspend practice for six months.

Other medical personnel and hospital leaders, including the hospital president and vice-president, were also removed from their posts or given penalties. The hospital itself was fined and ordered to rectify its practices.

Authorities expressed deep sorrow over the incident and extended sincere apologies to the grieving family.

They pledged to learn from the tragedy, strengthen oversight over medical institutions, and continuously improve healthcare quality to safeguard public health.

wangxiaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn