Patients are waiting to enter a hospital in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province on January 6, 2022. Photo: VCG

Two hospitals in Xi'an which delayed the rescue and treatment of a pregnant woman and a critical ill patient were ordered to suspend their operations for rectification for three months, the local health commission announced on Thursday. 

According to the statement released by the Xi'an Health Commission, the two hospitals, Xi'an Gaoxin Hospital, which kept an expectant mother waiting outside for two hours who subsequently had a miscarriage, and Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, which delayed treatment of a patient suffering from a heart attack who later died, failed to give priority to people and their lives during the practice of medical treatment. 

With a weak sense of responsibility, both hospitals failed to fulfill their duty to rescue the wounded and save lives, and failed to implement the core system of medical quality management, such as first diagnosis responsibility and emergency treatment to critically ill patients, the health authority noted. 

As a result, the rescue and diagnosis of urgent and critically ill patients was delayed, which caused widespread concerns of public opinion and left a bad social impact, it said.  

According to the authority, the two hospitals will have their operations suspended for three months and can only resume their operation after rectifications are deemed qualified.

The two hospitals will be given warning and the persons in charge of the hospitals were held accountable for the incidents. 

Gaoxin Hospital has been ordered to suspend its general manager and remove directors of relevant departments from post; International Medical Center Hospital was told to sack its legal representative, chairman and suspend its deputy president and remove the head nurse of its outpatient department.

Meanwhile, the health authority has also defined working plans to assure residents' normal access to medical services during the suspension of the two hospitals. 

International Medical Center Hospital apologized on Thursday afternoon for rigidly practicing relevant epidemic prevention policies which caused a delay in treating the patient who suffered from the heart disease, resulting in death on January 3. 

"We sincerely accept the decision by the Xi 'an Health Commission, and will suspend operations for rectification immediately. We will deeply reflect on, learn lessons from, and make rectifications immediately, and hold relevant personnel in charge accountable," Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital said in its statement. 

Meanwhile, the hospital promised to continue to organize medical staff to support the treatment of COVID-19 patients and the collection of nucleic acid samples in accordance with the arrangements of the local epidemic prevention and control headquarters.

Xi'an has seen a drop in confirmed cases in recent days, with only six cases reported on Thursday. 

A total of 2,025 confirmed local infections were reported in the latest COVID-19 flare-up between December 9, 2021 and January 11, 2022, the Xi'an health authority noted in the press briefing on Wednesday afternoon. 

Global Times