A Chinese doctor punched his 82-year-old patient in the face three times while performing surgery on her eyes, a shocking video has revealed.
The hospital authorities are investigating the incident, while the hospital's parent group has suspended the surgeon and fired the hospital's CEO.
While the incident took place in 2019, the footage went viral on Chinese social media this week, sparking outrage online.
It appears the surgeon punched the woman in the face, while the hospital group says this was because the patient did not stop moving during the operation.
The hospital's parent group, Aier China, said the incident took place at the hospital in Guigang, a southwestern Chinese city 300 miles (480 kilometers) west of Hong Kong.
A Chinese doctor (seen right) punched his 82-year-old patient in the face three times while performing surgery on her eyes, a shocking video shows
It said the patient was an 82-year-old woman who was “under local anesthesia during surgery.” […] had intolerance', the BBC reported.
The statement said she moved her head with her eyes several times.
Because the patient spoke only a local dialect and did not appear to respond to the surgeon's warnings, given in Mandarin, the doctor “treated the patient roughly in an emergency situation,” the statement said.
The woman suffered bruises on her forehead from the attack, authorities said.
Guigang Hospital management apologized for the incident and paid 500 yuan (about £55) in compensation to the patient, her son said.
The man told local news media that his mother is now blind in her left eye, although it was not clear whether this was due to the incident or some other reason.
Aier China said hospital staff did not report the incident to its headquarters.
On Thursday, the parent company said it had fired the facility's CEO and suspended its surgeon, who is also the hospital's dean.
Hospital authorities are investigating the incident, while the hospital's parent group has suspended the surgeon (seen above right) and fired the hospital's CEO
The video appears to show the surgeon punching the woman in the face, with the hospital group saying this was because the patient did not stop moving during the operation.
This decision was made due to “serious violations of the group's regulations,” the report said.
Although the shocking incident took place in December 2019, it only made headlines in China this week after footage of the incident went viral.
The video, shot with a camera monitoring the patient, shows the surgeon in green scrubs as he operates on her, peering through a surgical microscope.
After about ten seconds, the surgeon suddenly lashes out. He hits the patient's face with his fist once, and the less aggressive one twice more.
The sheets covering the woman suddenly rise as she responds to a blow.
Another medical worker, probably an assistant, rushes to the surgeon's aid, seemingly unaware of what caused the patient to suddenly shift under the sheets.
Prominent Chinese doctor Ai Fen shared CCTV footage of the operation online, causing it to go viral on China's closely watched social media platform Weibo.
Dr. Ai was among a group of doctors who first warned the public about the first outbreak of Covid-19 in the city of Wuhan, according to the BBC.
The video, shot with a camera overlooking the patient, shows the surgeon in green scrubs as he operates on her, peering through a surgical microscope.
She has more than two million followers on Weibo.
The doctor is also embroiled in legal disputes with Aier China.
In 2021, she went for her own surgery at one of the group's hospitals, which she said left her almost blind in one eye.
The company has denied the accusation, the BBC reports.