"Why was the victim sent to this farther, smaller hospital instead of the
best, or the nearest one?" Wang's friend Xu, who also went to the hospital,
asked.
Seeing the lack of effective treatment, Xu asked to transfer Wang to the
nearby Shunyi District Hospital, but the doctors refused.
The doctors eventually gave in, but said that either another ambulance or a
taxi had to be called. Xu argued, and eventually a hospital official intervened
and Wang was taken to the next hospital, where he was announced dead at
11:15 p.m., nearly three hours after the original accident.
Doctors at the Shunyi District hospital told Wang's son that if he had
arrived earlier, there was a good chance he could have been saved.
The
bills from Zhong'ao cost approximately 1,000 yuan.
Wang is not the only patient to be taken to Zhong'ao by its own ambulance.
Two doctors of the hospital's emergency treatment department and a driver
were seen by Beijing News reporters Tuesday afternoon using the ambulance to
bring in a man with leg injuries.
The man demanded a transfer to another hospital and was refused use of the
Zhong'ao ambulance. His relative had to call 999, the number for the Beijing Red
Cross.
Doctors at Zhong'ao declined to answer questions about their refusal to use
their ambulance for patient transfer, but confirmed the hospital's ownership of
the ambulance.
However, officials at the Shunyi District Health Bureau told reporters
Zhong'ao is not authorized to run an ambulance with the 120 Beijing Emergency
Center.
The 999 emergency center doesn't have a subcenter in the Zhong'ao Hospital,
either, chinadaily.com.cn reporter learned from the 999 center.
Zhong'ao hospital records acquired by Beijing News reporters show that the
ambulance went out to pick up patients in each of the past three days.
