The director of an emergency medical centre in Beijing has been suspended after a 32-year-old man reportedly died after waiting for an ambulance delayed because of Covid-related restrictions . The deceased man’s father, surnamed Song, wrote on WeChat on Thursday that his son, who lived in Shunyi district, felt a sharp chest pain on May 11 and called for an ambulance. However, he was told that due to Covid-19 restrictions, the centre needed to contact different hospitals to see if they could admit patients. An ambulance finally arrived 54 minutes after his son made the phone call, Song wrote, by which time his son had already collapsed. When the ambulance finally arrived at the Hospital of Shunyi District, no first aid worker was available to help. Song’s son was declared dead two hours later. “My son lost his life because the Shunyi first aid centre and hospital neglected their responsibilities,” he wrote. In a statement on Friday, authorities said the Shunyi district government and Beijing health authorities were investigating the centre and the hospital over the case, and would inspect all first aid centres and hospitals in the district. The team would conduct a thorough investigation into events on the night of the incident, the emergency response time, the treatment in the ambulance and in the hospital, the authorities said. “We will not allow patients’ treatment to be delayed for any reason,” the statement said. Song told the South China Morning Post the health officials contacted him on Thursday night to find out what had happened, but so far nothing had been done to help the family. He demanded the government establish the truth, inspect hospitals, and those responsible to give a formal apology and compensation. Song’s account resonated with many online who expressed frustration over repeated inconveniences, food shortages and casualties due to strict restrictions, asking why the government still could not remedy its failures after several tragedies. “After Shanghai, now it’s Beijing’s turn,” one commenter wrote on Weibo. In the early days of Shanghai’s lockdown, a nurse died of an asthma attack after the hospital she worked for denied her entry, citing outbreak restrictions. With the Communist Party’s national congress on the horizon, Beijing is keen to stop all chains of transmission and deploy restrictions, asking millions to stay home, closing restaurants and banning public transport in some areas. The restrictions have varied across districts as outbreaks have developed. But already, there have been complaints from the public ranging from being unable to book taxis for emergencies to difficulties getting access to healthcare, banking and other essential services.