Hero Covid-19 doctor fights flaws in China’s private health system
- Ai Fen was lauded during the early days of the disease and is attracting support in her own medical struggle
- The Wuhan emergency doctor is in a dispute over claimed negligence she says left her nearly blind in one eye
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Ai has accused private hospital group Aier Eye Hospital of negligence in its preoperative testing and care for failing to diagnose retinal detachment in her right eye in May last year. Instead, she was given cataract surgery. The saga became public in January when she shared details of the dispute with her 2.15 million followers on social media platform Weibo.
On Tuesday, the hospital group said an internal investigation found Ai’s deteriorated eyesight was not directly related to the surgery but admitted shortcomings in its patient care management. The group also alleged she was spreading false claims but said it wished to mediate with her to resolve the issue.
Ai hit back on Weibo, saying the group’s statement was full of holes and accusing it of lying. She told the South China Morning Post she was acting not only for herself, but to prevent others from suffering a similar ordeal.
The dispute has highlighted the complexities surrounding the protection of patients’ rights in China, including the determination of appropriate fault in claims of medical negligence.