Dying old woman ‘left for days’ in field in China
She later died in hospital and her fate has prompted comments online over who should be responsible for caring for the sick and elderly
The fate of an old woman who died after was she left in a field for several days in China has sparked comments online over who should care for the elderly and vulnerable.
The dying woman was found lying on the ground wrapped in dirty quilts in the field in eastern Jiangsu province, the news website Pzzx.com reported.
Photographs of her were quickly shared on the internet, with many saddened that nobody was caring for her.
“Even if her family abandoned her, what about the local government?” one wrote.
The local authorities in Pizhou county said in a statement that the woman had died after she was taken to hospital.
Police went to the scene after they were told the woman was dying in the field, the statement said.
The woman has not been identified, but it is hoped she may be named after blood samples are checked against a national database, the statement said.
Villagers believe the woman may have been left in the field for several days and that she was seriously ill, the news website reported.
The cost of health care is a huge problem for China’s poor.
State media reported last May that a farmer from eastern Anhui province suffering from frostbite had to amputate both his feet because he could not afford the medical costs.
In a similar case the previous year, a villager in northern Hebei province cut off his right leg and left foot with fruit knife after suffering a blocked artery as he was unable to pay medical bills.
