Guidelines issued this week by the Ministry of Health for providing first aid to elderly people have added fuel to an online debate triggered by several cases of people being sued for trying to help those in distress.
On Tuesday, the ministry recommended that people should 'not rush to help up elderly who had fallen down' but instead handle the situation 'according to different scenarios'. If the person was suffering from a severe headache or had difficultly speaking, it could mean he or she had a stroke. Helping such a person back on to his or her feet might accelerate cerebral haemorrhaging or reduce blood flow to the brain, according to the guidelines.
The suggestions outline steps that should be taken when, for example, a child has been hurt in a road accident, and follow a case in November 2006 in which a 65-year-old woman in Nanjing, Jiangsu, sued a man who helped her back to her feet when she tried to board a bus.
A court ruled that since the man was the first person to get off the bus, it was possible he had knocked the woman over. He was ordered to pay her 45,876 yuan (HK$55,926) in compensation and to cover 40 per cent of her medical bills.
On sina.com more than 8,000 internet users have commented on the documents, part of a wider debate over whether to offer assistance if there was a possibility of getting sued, and whether withholding assistance for fear of getting sued showed society's poor morals.
In comments this week, an internet user named Longer said: 'I can't afford to help them stand up unless they are my own parents.' Another said: 'I will never help fallen elderly people unless the Nanjing case is overturned and the judge apologises'.
