Unlicensed Chinese acupuncturist jailed for 10 years after patient dies
Man’s death in March was due to heart disease and only ‘indirectly caused’ by illegal traditional Chinese medicine treatment, Guangxi court rules
A doctor illegally practising traditional Chinese medicine without a licence in southwestern China was jailed for 10 years after his patient died while having acupuncture treatment, mainland media reported.
A court in Guilin, Guangxi province, ruled that the victim’s sudden death was the result of heart disease caused by the narrowing of the coronary arteries and that his death was only “indirectly caused” by the doctor’s acupuncture treatment, the judicial news portal Jcrb.com reported.
Because acupuncture was only a contributing factor in the patient’s death, the court said the doctor, convicted with practising without a licence, should receive a more lenient sentence.
The patient visited the unlicensed doctor’s clinic last March after complaining of feeling unwell.
Twenty minutes after the start of the acupuncture treatment, he said he was feeling even worse. His face turned blue and he started to vomit, the report said.
Although emergency medical staff arrived at the scene quickly, he died soon afterwards.
The incident is the latest case involving the death of patients following traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
The mainland authority recently issued a white paper on traditional Chinese medicine to push for its development around the world.
