Qingdao Jimo District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital: Wrong pull, the man died suddenly before discharge and was cremated without authorization

"My husband was hospitalized for 8 days for treatment of pancreatitis, but he suddenly passed away before being discharged from the hospital. Moreover, the body in the hospital morgue has been inexplicably lost." On September 11th, Ms. Zhao from Qingdao, Shandong, mentioned the pain of losing her husband to a reporter from Huashang Daily's Dafeng News, questioning the hospital's unauthorized removal of the body to a funeral home for cremation without the consent of the family. The reporter from Huashang Daily's Dafeng News confirmed that not only Ms. Zhao reported the case, but the hospital also reported and dealt with it. The Jimo Branch of Qingdao Public Security Bureau has intervened in the investigation.

Ms. Zhao introduced that her husband is 45 years old this year. "On the evening of August 28th, he was sent to the emergency department of Jimo District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Qingdao due to stomach pain. He was diagnosed with pancreatitis and was admitted to the hospital on August 29th for treatment as pancreatitis. During this period, the attending doctor informed us that we could be discharged on September 6th. However, my husband still felt some stomach pain and was not discharged." Ms. Zhao did not expect that her husband suddenly passed away on September 5th. "On that day, he felt a little better because he was about to be discharged the next day. His friend used a wheelchair to push him out for a walk, which was very close to the hospital. He was circling in the sports field diagonally opposite the hospital. At around 9 o'clock in the evening, he only had a little porridge to drink, and he couldn't stand it anymore."

Ms. Zhao said, "Call 120 and send him to the emergency department of the hospital for treatment. He was still a patient at the time, and we did not process his discharge. The emergency doctor said that he had no heartbeat on the 120 ambulance, but we did not give up. It was not until 12:30 am the next day, and the rescue was ineffective. The hospital said it was either pulmonary embolism or myocardial infarction, and the specific death certificate was not yet available."

Heart and kidney problems

Family members have objections to hospital treatment

On August 28th, the patient's electrocardiogram at Jimo District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Qingdao was diagnosed as abnormal electrocardiogram, sinus rhythm, left ventricular hypertrophy with abnormal repolarization, and left atrial enlargement.

On August 29th, the outpatient medical record showed that the diagnosis was acute pancreatitis, hypertension, and renal insufficiency, requiring continuous electrocardiogram monitoring and blood oxygen saturation monitoring.

On September 3rd, the hospital CT report showed thickening of the left adrenal gland and blurring of the surrounding space. The possibility of a small cyst in the left kidney is high, with pericardial effusion.

Ms. Zhao told a reporter from Huashang Daily's Dafeng News, "We have objections to his treatment at the hospital because a CT scan on September 3rd showed that his heart and kidneys were already problematic. I consulted a doctor and they said that his heart and kidneys were not good. In fact, my husband, who was just hospitalized, did not have simple pancreatitis. He should have been in the intensive care unit. We suspect that the hospital did not treat my husband properly, which caused his sudden death."

Something fishy happened

The body was pulled and cremated, and the family claimed they were unaware

"At that time, after the emergency rescue was ineffective, I pushed my husband's body to the morgue of Jimo Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and directly stored it in the morgue. Ms. Zhao said," We planned to go through judicial procedures ourselves, so we stored my husband's body in the hospital morgue. It was placed in the second half of September 5th. However, at 8:00 am on September 9th, Director Zhao of the hospital's security department called me and said that my husband's body was pulled out and cremated. "

As a family member of the deceased, Ms. Zhao was confused when she heard the words. "I had no idea. The hospital said they had taken the body out for cremation, but I was a family member of the person involved, and I had no knowledge of it. I suspected that the hospital was" destroying the body "and that the body was being cremated without authorization. I intended to go through legal procedures, so I stored it in the hospital morgue. Three days later, it was inexplicably taken out for cremation. It's really unbelievable."

"My husband's body is so gone!" Ms. Zhao believes that there should be necessary verification procedures from the hospital morgue to the funeral home cremation.

"Pull over from the hospital morgue, don't the funeral home check it? It's impossible to just burn someone when they bring someone in. The hospital told us it was the hospital that pulled the wrong one, but I don't believe it. Why did the hospital pull out my husband's body for cremation? The hospital said it was the wrong one, but it was the wrong one."

Hospital response

A family member of the deceased mistakenly identified her husband as his father

On the evening of September 11th, a reporter from Huashang Daily's Dafeng News contacted Zhao, the head of the security department of Jimo District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Qingdao. He stated that the hospital had already obtained the results of the handling, but did not explain how to handle it.

"This is a family in Sichuan. They put the two freezers in the same way. It was the other's son who mistook her for his father. Because he had been frozen for a long time, and there was frost on his face, he couldn't see it. When he opened it, he mistook him for his father."

The reporter asked if there were any verification procedures for the body being taken out of the hospital morgue. Zhao, the chief of the department, replied, "The hospital has also reviewed it when it was taken out of the hospital morgue. At the time of the verification, it was not his son who took it, but someone else from their family took it, but they didn't see it clearly."

Director Zhao immediately said, "It was taken over by the staff. Please ask the police station specifically. I don't know the specifics, but I am currently negotiating with their family here."

The reporter asked if the hospital was responsible, and Zhao, the head of the department, said, "It's not a big responsibility. If someone passed away, is there any responsibility? Let the police station determine. There is no responsibility on the funeral home side."

Director Zhao told reporters, "Our hospital has also reported to the police now, and it seems that it is being processed. The public security has already intervened in the investigation."

In addition, a recording obtained by the reporter shows that Chief Zhao stated that on the afternoon of September 11th, the Public Security Bureau and the Judicial Bureau approached him for evidence, and all surveillance videos were copied to the police station.

Chief Zhao said there are many doubts about this matter, "He is about to be discharged from the hospital, why hasn't he?"

Director Zhao expressed understanding of Ms. Zhao's feelings, "I can help you file this lawsuit."

Chief Zhao said that there are numbers and names in the hospital's morgue, and there are people taking care of them. At that time, it was the cousin of the deceased son from Sichuan who went to the morgue to retrieve the body. However, when the freezer was opened, the body was not of a normal color and was covered in a layer of frost on the face.

Zhao, the head of the department, explained that verification requires obtaining an ID card. The relatives of the deceased in Sichuan did not use Ms. Zhao's husband's cremation certificate for cremation, but rather used the deceased's identity for cremation. If their identity is incorrect, cremation cannot be carried out. "It's not their biological father, who would cry while holding it? It's not their biological father, who would handle cremation?"

Director Zhao expressed willingness to sit down and negotiate with Ms. Zhao, and stated that the hospital has already issued a notification. "I have already reported it. The district committee, government, civil affairs bureau, and judicial bureau are all implementing it."

The deceased's wife reported to the police station

We will also file a complaint with the National Health Commission

On the evening of September 11th, the reporter contacted the Tongji Police Station of the Jimo Branch of the Qingdao Public Security Bureau. A police station leader said, "Although it is our investigation, according to regulations, media interviews need to contact the Propaganda Department of our branch. There is no conclusion yet, and the investigation is still ongoing. Please communicate with our Propaganda Department." He then hung up the phone.

"I'm really at a loss now." The day after the incident, Ms. Zhao posted an article online seeking help from the media.

"On September 9th, I reported to the Tongji Police Station." Ms. Zhao told reporters that as of September 11th, the Jimo District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Qingdao has not provided a written response or informed me of how to handle it. She only asked Director Zhao to calm me down here. I originally planned to go to the Jimo District Health Bureau in Qingdao this afternoon to file a complaint.

The man died suddenly the day before being discharged from the hospital and was cremated three days later without permission. The hospital: pulled the wrong one