Doctor caught on video camera punching patient during surgery suspended after outrage

A Chinese surgeon who was allegedly seen in a widely-shared video punching an 82-year-old patient in the head during her eye surgery was suspended after outrage among the public.

The incident allegedly took place in 2019 at an ophthalmology hospital in Guigang, China, operated by Aier China.

In the video posted on Weibo by Dr Ai Fen, director of Wuhan Central Hospital’s emergency department, the surgeon is seen delivering three quick strikes to the patient’s head as she shifts positions under the surgical blanket.

The entire incident was recorded on a surveillance camera.

Aier China said the surgeon mistreated the patient after she allegedly failed to follow instructions.

The hospital claimed that the patient, who spoke a local dialect, couldn’t comprehend the surgeon’s instructions in Mandarin.

Dr Ai, one of the doctors who initially raised awareness of the Wuhan Covid outbreak, shared the video on her Weibo account, where she boasts over two million followers.

According to the BBC, local authorities stated that the woman suffered bruises to her forehead due to the incident.

A statement by Aier China read: “During the operation, due to local anaesthesia, the patient had surgical intolerance and reached up to try to touch [her] eyes. The area near the eyes is a sterile surgical area. Once touched, it may cause infection…the doctor wanted to avoid danger.”

The patient’s son reported receiving an apology and compensation of 500 yuan [$70] from the hospital, but he asserted that his mother is now blind in her left eye. However, it was not clear if that was the result of what the video showed.

Aier China stated that the hospital failed to report the incident, and as a result of the video surfacing, the surgeon was suspended, and the hospital group’s CEO was dismissed.