The family of an elderly man who died after 67 days of treatment
in a hospital is contesting a total bill for 5.4 million yuan
(about US$660,000) in hospital fees.
Weng Wenhui, who died of cancer on August 6 at the age of 75,
spent the last 67 days of his life at Harbin No 2 Hospital, which
is attached to Harbin Medical University, in Heilongjiang
Province.
Weng reportedly racked up 1.4 million yuan (US$173,000) in
hospital fees.
The fees included hospital charges that averaged 21,000 yuan
(US$2,600) a day, and medication costs of 4 million yuan
(US$493,200), China Central Television (CCTV) reported on
Wednesday.
Weng's family has honored the payments, but now question the
hospital's honesty and integrity.
Ma Yuguang, former deputy chief of the Beijing-based General
Hospital of the Ministry of Water Conservancy, told CCTV that he
was astonished by the bill saying it could be "a record in
China."
Weng's eldest son, Weng Qiang, a businessman, who settled a
large portion of the bill, said the medical costs were worth it so
long as treatment prolonged his father's life for even one
minute.
But other family members aren't as convinced.
According to the deceased's wife, Fu Xiumei, one of the charges
was for medicine which Weng was allergic to. Further, two charges
are for tests supposedly conducted on her husband on August 8, two
days after he died.?
The hospital set up a special team in mid-August to investigate
the family's allegations of dishonesty. Team head Yang Hui said he
had found no evidence of any wrongdoing.
But this was not satisfactory for the Weng family.
The Ministry of Health has now sent a team to the hospital to
investigate.
Yu Lingfan, head of the Intensive Care Unit where Weng was
treated, told CCTV that the high costs were a result of special
care for the patient, who at the time was "very seriously ill."
Family members also demanded that the hospital "go all out" to
save Weng, a retired high school teacher, Yu said.
"Our efforts resulted in high medical costs. We even reduced
some of the charges," Yu added.
But Wang Xueyuan, a senior doctor who oversaw much of Weng's
treatment, told CCTV that some bills conflicted with treatment he
had directed, adding that he thought certain medicines had been
wasted on Weng's treatment.
The hospital, which is more than 50 years old, is well known in
the provincial capital and treats more than 50,000 patients each
year.
The Ministry of Health revealed last November that nearly 40
percent of the country's patients cannot afford medical treatment
because of the high costs.
Expensive medical treatment in China has been criticized in
recent years. Unable to afford medical treatment, many give up on
it altogether, often with fatal consequences.
According to statistics, medical costs have increased faster
than incomes. From 1993 to 2003, the cost of medical treatment
increased by 14 percent annually.
(China Daily November 25, 2005)